The Good, the Bad and the Rebels
by SpaceFlora
Summary: The whole planet's after The Freedom Fighters, they learn out that the war is still going on strong and that they have a lot of enemies who all want to wipe them out. They have to come up with a plan that will save them as well the whole planet. This is a SEQUEL to my story The New Dawn of the Red Planet. It picks right where the last story ended. Work in progress.
1. Chapter 1: Water?

_Okay, so surprise...! _

_I finally figured out how to continue my first story "The New Dawn of The Red Planet"! And I had so many requests about it and questions about when there's going to be a sequeal and now, finally I read the whole story again and I immidiately got a spark to continue it!_

_So, this is a straight sequel to the story "The New Dawn of the Red Planet" so I'd suggest if there are readers who haven't read that part to quickly read those about 24 chapters because I'm not planning on explaining too much in here about what have happened before etc. This sequel will start straight from where the last one ended so even the ones who are familiar with the TNDOTRP-story might find it handy to read at least the last chapter of it again before reading this first chapter here...Just to know and remember what's up XD  
_

_Also I did a slight revision on "TNDOTRP".I just always read something I've written and think "hmm, I could write that better"... That's just me trying to aim for the perfection always..._

_AND speaking of which, again, English is NOT my first language so be gentle and kind with the grammar observations, I do try to correct every error there is before uploading BUT it just happens that there always sneaks a few or more mistakes so I do apologize them in advance...I go back to correct them many times even after the uploading..._

_So, for all of you who have been eagerly waiting for the sequeal! Here it is!_

_And please leave a comment after reading the story! I really really appreciate them!_

_Hope you guys are still with me with this story!_

_-SpaceFlora_

_p.s. Also I deleted that last story "Rebel hearts" from here since there was only a few chapters and it just didn't work...I'll make some changes and write it again when I sometime get the chance and spark to do it... But I guess I'm concentrating now onto this sequeal..._

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

** Chapter 1**

**Water?  
**

Modo was driving through the Martian desert his mind eleted. The evening spent at his mommah's house had been a success. Modo's stomach was now so full of his mommah's incredible cookings that he had even been contemplating about staying there for the night but he had quickly erased that thought from his mind as it would've been too dangerous, for him and Aprilia but also for his mommah, sister and his sister's husband Radius.  
The Freedom Fighters were now wanted men and women and their photos had appared on the newspaper as well, giving faces to this mysterious rebel group that now, a couple of years after the war with the Plutarkians, had become active again. And now the Fighters were in even a bigger predicament than before. Now the government was after them as well and many of the Fighters had already gone missing, presumably they were dead. Luckily they had been able to rescue some of their old comrades from the government's secrest desert base but still there just weren't that many Fighters left.

A small group of rats had also appeared and offered their help to which Modo was a little sceptical since he had always had a deep hatred for the rats. He had never trusted them, not even when they had been fighting alongside the Fighters during the war and when they had stabbed the Fighters in the back, it had not surprised Modo that much. But these rats now had stated that they had never agreed with Mace and they had formed their own rebel group and fled the rat territory. Now they were also outlaws as well as outcasts, just like the Fighters were and they wanted to help the Fighters, for a better future for all the races on Mars. But it didn't matter if Modo trusted them or not, Stoker had been willing to give this rebel rat group a chance. And Stoker had the final word around the Headquarters. Modo really hoped that the rats did keep their promise, for their own sake...

Lil' Hoss hummed and beeped like noticing her owner to become lost in his thoughts and Modo gave his beloved bike a little pat with a smile. Okay, he'll just try to think about the happier things. Like his mommah's face when she had learned out tonight that her only son had finally built enough courage to propose his longtime girlfriend, Aprilia. Mommah had cried out of joy and kissed Modo and Aprilia both multiple times, hugging them with a tight but loving grip. Mommah had always loved Aprilia, she had considered her as her daughter-in-law long before the proposal had even occured and the old grey-furred woman had always tried to discreetly (and occassionally not so discreetly) imply to her son that he should marry the girl. But there had been a war and then Modo along with his two bros had crashlanded on Earth and they'd been fighting there for three years against the same Plutarkian scum that had turned Mars also into a giant sand bowl. There hadn't been much of leisure time to just settle down... And come to think of it, there wasn't any leisure time to be seen in the future either. There was just no rest for the heroes.

Their trip to mommah's house had not only been about pleasure as Modo had told his sister to bring her husband, the Army Lieutenant Radius along with her. Stoker had asked Modo to try and persuate Radius to find and gather the soldiers still loyal to Carbine who at the moment was locked up somewhere inside the Army Base. She was at the moment waiting for her trial for her treason against the state since the government had learned out about her connections with the Freedom Fighters. It had taken a bit persuation but in the end Radius had agreed and he had told his brother-in-law that he knew what was going on and that he had been doubtful about the actions on the Martian Cave Mice' government's behalf for a little while now but had doubted that nothing could've been done. But in the end he had agreed to help the Fighters, on one condition, if Modo got his nephew Rimfire, Radius' stepson out and faraway from the the Freedom Fighters. Modo had agreed on that just because he had always felt that Rimfire would be in immidiate danger if staying with the Fighters. He had felt a slight failure as a protective uncle, now that his nephew was enjoying the chaotic and dangerous lifestyle as well.

Modo felt a slight feeling of anguish entering his mind. Rimfire loved the Freedom Fighters and loved to be one of them. He would not want to step down, not without a fight and Modo had a sickening feeling that it was about to become a great fight. What if this changed everything between them two? They had had always a very special, strong and warm bond. Since they had quite a small age difference between them it had always felt that they were nearly like brothers. But because he loved his nephew so much, he knew he had to protect him, wether or not Rimfire would ever understand that. Modo just didn't want anything to happen to him, and with this line of work, that "something" could also mean getting killed. One could never know. And right now the stakes were so high and the numbers of the Fighters so low (albeit there were now a small group of rats helping them, which for some reason did not make Modo feel anymore secure) that the grey furred giant couldn't predict how this all would come to an end. He just hoped that it would not mean the end of the Freedom Fighters as well.

His thoughts were silenced by a light squeeze around his middle and he was brought back to the present moment.

"You're alright, love?" Aprilia's voice asked through the helmets' radio. She had felt his muscles tensing up.

"Yeah, Ah'm alright, darlin'..." a slight smile curled around his lips even though she could not see it, leaning her helmet-covered head against his wide back.

"You've been very quiet since we left your mommah's house..." her soft voice spoke again.

"Sorry, just havin' a lot on my mind Ah guess..." Modo's voice rumbled.

"Does it somehow link to the little talk you had with Radius back there...?"

"Maybe..."

"So, what did you guys talk about then?" Aprilia asked nonchalantly. Modo didn't know what to answer her and the silence pressed Aprilia to ask another question.

"Is it a secret?"

"Nah, Ah don't wanna keep any secrets from ya, darlin'...it's just hard to explain..."

"Humour me."  
Modo sighed deeply.

"Ah asked if he could possibly help the Fighters..."

"Oh? How could he help?" Aprilia got interested.

"By gathering the troops still loyal to Carbine-ma'am..."

"What did he say?"

"That he could do that..."

"Well, what's the problem then?" Aprilia asked, she was in the end a doctor, a woman of science and she had this rational way of thinking. She could not see a problem here yet.

"Well..." Modo started not really sure how to describe his dilemma with his nephew.

"He said he could help but on one condition..."

"That been...?" Aprilia was pushing, but kept her voice warm.

"That Ah would get Rimfire out of the Fighters..."

"Well, you can't really promise that..." Aprilia answered.

"That's the whole problem. Ah kinda did..."

"Stop the bike!" Aprilia suddenly raised her voice and the immediacy in her voice got Modo to pull the bike into a sreeching halt in the middle of the desert, the back tire sliding until it stopped.

"Darlin', we're out here in the middle of the no man's land, it's not safe to..." He started but was cut off.

"Why did you promise Radius you'd get Rimfire out?!"

"Well, since in the end it is best for him..."

"Do you realize how Rimfire's gonna take it? He would see it as a huge betrayal from your part! He'll not forgive you that!"

"Hey, Ah would do anythin' for that kid! And if it means that he'll hate me for the rest of his life then so be it, but Ah would rather have him alive than dead on my watch!"

"You really need to start treating him as a young adult that he is and not as a kid! He can make his own decisions!"

"Why are ya so mad about this? Ah thought that you of all people would understand this, ya being a doctor and all..."

"I don't want him to die either! But this is not about that, this is about you having some respect for your own nephew!"

"Ah do respect him."

"Not if you're gonna stab him in the back..."

"Okay, can this conversation wait 'til we get to the Headquarters? This most definatly ain't the time and place to have this talk...or any other kind of talk for that matter... It's dangerous out here in the no man's land..." Modo looked around them, trying to hear if there were any movement around them but it all remained pitch black and silent, only the lonely bright stripe of light coming from Lil-Hoss' headlamp pierced its' way through the darkness.

"You telling me to shut up?" Aprilia raised her eyebrow. Modo gave a deep sigh and turned to look at her.

"No, Ah'm with the most politeness tryin' to ask you to wait 'til we're in a safer environment to have this talk..." Modo's voice tried to be warm but it had a sudden tightness in it.

"There's noone in here!" Aprilia spread her arms and looked around them, into the darkness.

"Wanna hang around until we get company? Ah can assure ya that it ain't gonna be friendly..." Modo turned his look on her but Aprilia only crossed her arms and glared him back. Modo sighed again and then got up, flinging his other leg over the saddle of the bike and then sat down back again, crossing his other leg on top of the other one.

"Fine, let's talk here..." he said giving their surroundings a careful look. In the end, he was raised to not to argue with the women.

"I just don't want you to do a horrible mistake, love..." Aprilia's voice was softer now. Modo shook his head looking into the distance.

"Ah don't know... Ah feel like Ah'm between a rock and a hard place here... Ah mean Ah've promised so many times for mommah and May to keep the twins safe and yet Ah was unable to keep Rimfire from gettin' recruited into our rows... This is not necessarily the most safest career choices there is. And this situation we're at right now, the whole government after us and us hidin' in the desert... It's just not a safe place for him. He's got his whole future ahead of him, he's a bright kid."

"Maybe, but it is his own choice to stay with you guys. He chose to become a Freedom Fighter." Aprilia answered.

"Ah just wish that he wouldn't see this thing as somethin' glorious..." Modo muttered back.

"The Freedom Fighters are doing everything for..." Aprilia started.

"...the greater good, yeah. Ah know." Modo ended the sentence while looking away again, out into the darkness. He then scratched the sand under his other foot with his biker boot, looking thoughtful.

"Are the bad things somehow more justified when they're done for the greater good?" Modo asked with a low rumble.

Aprilia stared at him but then nodded firmly.

"Yes."

Modo turned to the small light brown coloured female and blinked a few times, he had not expected for her to be so firm with her answer.

"Because, I believe in the Fighters. And I believe in you." She then concluded taking him by then hand again.

A shy smile appeared on Modo's features as he then turned his look on her hand, resting on top of his flesh one. He stroked her palm with his finger and looked like contemplating something. He then cleared his throat.

"Maybe Ah'll just have a talk with Rimfire..."

"Talking never hurts. But don't push your ideas on him, it will only make him more determinated to do just the opposite."

"Yeah, Ah know..."

"Just tell him how you feel but if he talks then really listen what he has to say. He's a grown man and deserves to get his voice to be heard. Specially by his uncle who he respects so much."

"Alright...Guess Ah can do that..." Modo nodded and then raised his look and stroked her cheek and chin and then tilted her head up a little and kissed her.

"Thanks, darlin'."

"You're welcome, love." Aprilia smiled against his lips. Modo then got up and flung his other leg over the saddle of his bike again and sat down comfortably.

"Okay, let's get goin' before a sabre squid decides that we'll make a nice lil' night snack..." He chuckled. Aprilia gave a laugh and got closer to him, putting her arms around his middle as she felt his tail curling around her waist, to secure her.

"Ready, darlin'?" He murmured.

"Always." Aprilia smiled and leaned her head against his back as Modo started the bike and soon they were gunning down the dark desert towards the Headquarters again.

x

x

As they got inside the safety of the Headquarters again, Modo got up from his bike and offered Aprilia a hand that she took with a smile and got up from the bike as well. Modo patted Lil'Hoss lovingly and whispered a goodnight and the bike beeped back. As Modo straightened his back he now saw that the garage was missing a few bikes still.

"Are the others still gettin' some latenight junkfood...?" He frowned even if he tried to joke. Aprilia looked around but couldn't really remember how many bikes there should be and whose were missing. Modo on the other hand seemed to know exactly how many and who were still out with only a quick glance around the garage.

Suddenly Rimfire walked inside the garage and as he saw his uncle and Aprilia his smile got wider.

"Hey-y, you two... Had fun at grandmommah's? Oh, did ya guys bring me any leftovers?!" He asked excitedly and Modo turned to Lil'Hoss like remembering something and then took a still warm package wrapped in foil from the bike's side compartment.

"As a matter of fact we did...Here, catch! They sent their loves, too." Modo threw the package to his nephew who grabbed it from the air.

"Thanks!" Rimfire cheered as he smelled the package.

"Mm...Love sure smells good...!" He joked and was to leave but turned around to give them two another look.

"Oh, yeah, some Fighters are still checking those tunnels out... They should be here any minute now I guess..."

"Okay..." Modo nodded now a bit absent-mindedly, remembering what he had promised to Radius and what they had been talking about with Aprilia just moments ago. He gave a little nervous glance towards the short female whose blonde hair now looked messy after having a helmet on. Aprilia only gave him a meaningful look back and nodded towards Rimfire's direction.

"Hey, Rimfire, whacha' doin' tomorrow...?" Modo then asked turning to his nephew again.

Rimfire raised his eyebrow.

"I didn't know we had a lotta options in here...?"

"Yeah, guess you're right...We could maybe... Ah donno, hang out...?" Modo asked, scratching his neck, feeling a bit awkward.

Rimfire raised his eyebrow again, not to the fact that he and his uncle would hang out, that they did on regular bases but for him to ask in advance was another thing.

"Sure. We can do that..." Rimfire smiled back but then pointed at the package in his hand.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm havin' a date with this hottie!" He smirked and left the garage. Modo gave a chuckle and shook his head.

"So...You know what you're gonna say to him...?" Aprilia walked to the grey furred male and gave a loving nudge to his side.

"Not really, no..." Modo sighed, crossing his arms.

"But Ah think after some hours of sleep Ah'll know...Ah just need to clear my head first."

Aprilia nodded back and then took a step forward again, deciding to change the topic.

"You know, your mommah seemed to be very excited and happy for us getting engaged..."

Modo turned his head to her and a wide smile appeared on his face, that they did have in common with his nephew. He placed his hands on her sides.

"Now, why wouldn't she be excited for you're the most gorgeous woman on Mars...?"

Aprilia turned her look away shyly and then gave her own outfit a look.

"I can't believe I met her in this wrinkly dress...! I must've looked awfully sloppy...!"

"Nah, you have never looked better, darlin'..." Modo murmured and then lifted her to sit on a table nearby and nuzzled her fair blonde hair before he leaned over to press a feathery-light kiss on her lips.

"Well, you don't look so bad yourself, handsome..." Aprilia smiled against his lips as she answered to his kiss, been way more eager with it. Modo stroked her sides, drawing gentle circles with his thumbs and Aprilia moaned quietly before she then wrapped her legs around his pelvis, making him nudge closer to her. She stroked his muscled chest and sides under his dark hoodie and then slowly let her hand slide down to stroke the sensitive skin just under his belt. Modo chuckled while still kissing her.

"Ah like how your mind's workin', darlin' but maybe we should take this to a more private location..?"

Aprilia gave a laugh and bit playfully his lower lip.

"You mean like the closet in the infirmary...?" She whispered back.

Modo chuckled again.

"Well, the war was ragin' back then, we needed to be creative...Ya do have a room now..."

Aprilia gave a light chuckle and Modo stroked her chin and studied this pretty blonde infront of him, perching on the table, her blonde hair messy after the bike ride and her cheeks rosy. He was to say something back but they both got distracted by the sound of the garage doors sliding open and they turned their heads to soon notice a bunch of bikes driving in. It wasn't the fact that they saw them coming in that made Modo and Aprilia stare at them, it was the fact that they were soaking wet when they did that.

"What the heck happened to you guys...?" Modo then observed the wet bunch of mice and rats. Vinnie got up from his bike and rolled the red racer a few metres still until parking it, leaving a dark wet trail behind. He took away his helmet and let it drip a few drops before placing it on the saddle of his bike. He then turned to give them two a look and his somewhat sour look was replaced with a teasing smirk.

"I think I'm more interested in what is happenin' in here..." He wiggled his eyebrows at them two and Aprilia realized her legs were still wrapped around Modo and she quickly hopped off the table and straightened her dress, clearing her throat.

"I'll just... get you guys some blankets..." She muttered and left the garage. Modo looked after her but then turned his look to the younger white furred bro.

"So...? Care to explain why it looks like ya guys just swim in here...?" He raised his eyebrow.

"That's because we nearly did..." Stoker answered as he rolled his bike to its' place and then took away his wet shirt, revealing his naked torso full of old battle scars. He rolled the shirt and squeezed water out of it.

Modo only stared at them and got a slap on the back by Throttle who only chuckled at his dumbfound expression.

"We found water." Throttle rasped as he ruffled his long hair, trying to make it more dry.

"Water?" Modo repeated in full disbelief, his arms crossed.

"Water." Stoker concluded.

"Water!?" Modo's voice got more surprised.

"Yes! Water!" Vinnie shouted back.

Modo only stared at them, his jaw dropped a bit, still not really comprehending what they were saying.

"From...Mars?" He asked still not buying it.

"Yes, from Mars!" Vinnie's voice got even higher.

"You found water from Mars?" Modo finally concluded, it wasn't anymore as much of a question but a statement.

"Dear gods..." Vinnie rolled his eyes. He hated to repeat things. He was way too busy and energetic to keep the same record playing for too long. Yes, they found water from Mars. That was now in the past, let's move on!

"Yes, bro...We found water from Mars." Throttle chuckled with a smile. Modo studied his bro for a second.

"But that's like...a big thing." Modo tried to wrap his head around this fact.

"Yeah, it sure is..." Throttle gave a laugh and then turned his look on his right where the brown furred rat with the black short mohawk had appeared, his fur as wet as the others'.

"So...Simson? Did you guys know about this...? That there's water stored to those tunnels? Since those tunnels were dug by the rats..."

"You ask whether or not we knew about this?!" Simson's voice got a bit angry.

"If we had known there's water in there we wouldn't have hidden it from the other life sources..."

"Well, it looks like someone did hide it from everyone else..." Stoker came to them putting on a clean and most of all a dry shirt on, pulling his long ponytail which still dropped water from under the shirt.

"Who else is using the tunnels beside the rats?" Throttle asked Simson who only shrugged his shoulders.

"The tunnels are old but nowadays most of the tunnels are only used by Mace' troops and that way the rat citizens don't dare to use them. Mace isn't exactly known for his hospitality even towards his own race and so the tunnels are pretty much their kingdom."

"But Mace is good buddies with the government, too so maybe those creeps from the secret desert base knew and used the tunnels as well?" Stoker rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm positive about that since one of the tunnels lead straight from their secret base..." Throttle concluded and then gave Modo a look.

"What ya think, Big Fella'?"

"Hm?" Modo raised his look still seemingly thinking about the water.

"Right, right..." He then nodded, not really sure what they were talking about. He hadn't really been listening. Throttle rolled his eyes behind his specs but then turned towards their younger bro but he was nowhere to be seen anymore.

"Busy to hook up with his new girlfriend..." Stoker chuckled as noticing who Throttle was looking for.

Aprilia stepped into the garage and threw army blankets to each and every mouse and rat that was still shivering a bit from getting all soaked up.

"Thanks, doc." Stoker smirked as he threw the blanket over his shoulders to keep him warm. Aprilia only gave a warm smile back but then noticed Modo's still spaced out look.

"What? What did I miss?" She asked.

"They found water." Modo only waved towards the others.

"Water?" Aprilia repeated also but gave the others a look. Stoker chuckled and put his arm around the short female while they started to walk out of the garage.

"C'mon, doc, let's gather everyone together and I'll explain everything..."

x

x

x

x

x

_So, there still didn't happen too much in this chapter but since it has been some time I've been writing this story (well, the last one that is directly prequeal to this one) I decided to start with a nice easy chapter._

_Even if I already have ideas for what to write next and what's going to happen in this story but it's better to not write a toooo loooong chapter._

_Anyway, again, hope you guys are still with me with this long story!_

_And please write a review to tell me what you think! Reviews are what keeps me motivated!_

_Until next time_

_-SpaceFlora_


	2. Chapter 2: The Unexpected Request

_Well, hello there again!_

_So, this second chapter came quickly and easy since I already knew what to write..._

_I was thrilled to hear that you guys liked this start of the sequeal! Special thanks to the ever-so-loyal-commenter Vlaatjee and also to bmfm fangirl to give me a heartwarming feedback on both of the stories!_

_So, enough with talk,_

_here's the second chapter,_

_enjoy!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 2**

**The Unexpected Request**

Vinnie knocked on Charley's door and it took a few seconds before the door flung open.

"Do you realize what time it is?!" The auburn haired mechanic's eyes were fuming. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of sweatpants she had borrowed from the Freedom Fighters since she had not packed that many items of clothing with her as she had taken the intergalactic trip to Mars. Vinnie only raised his eyebrow.

"Hey, sweetheart, lookin' good there...!"

"Yes, I only aim to please your eyes..." Charley rolled her own set of green eyes while crossing her arms, leaning against the doorframe but having a tiny smirk nevertheless.

"It's late, Vinnie." She then stated because it felt like the white furred mouse had not really understood her first statement.

"It's never too late to admire your's truly..." Vinnie flexed his biceps and that earned another roll of eyes from the mechanic.

"You're right, I should set my priorities straight..."

"Also, I just came here to tell you that we made it safely back...In case you were worried." Vinnie didn't seem to mind her sarcasm.

"I wasn't. Look, if I was to worry about your furbrains' every step, I'd have a stomach ulcer by now..." Charley replied before giving a yawn.

"Also... not to brag but it looks like we just saved Mars." Vinnie crossed his arms, looking smug.

"Good for you..." Charley rubbed her eye tiredly, not really paying attention since Vinnie always bragged even if there wasn't anything to brag about.

"We found water from those tunnels we were checking out." Vinnie had saved the punchline to the last and that got Charley to turn her eyes on him.

"So, I did get your attention there, doll...Took ya long enough." Vinnie smirked.

"You found water?" The woman only stared at him.

"That's how we roll, sweetheart! Just rescuin' a planet after the other!" Vinnie cheered as he leaned against the doorframe as well as to exaggerate just how easy it was to be the superhero.

Charley had gathered a smile on her lips, the news had gotten her in a far better mood since she knew how crucial these news were for the red planet.

"So, what now?" She then asked.

"Now? Well, I heard that Stoker wants everyone into the main hall so you better move your pretty behind and follow me!"

Charley gave a little chuckle and blushed a little since they were still so fresh item she and Vinnie that she had acted like a silly schoolgirl these past few days. It was annoying really, she hated that but she just couldn't help it. Somehow all those stupid rom-coms seemed to make sense now...

"Fine... I'll just find something to cover myself with..." Charley muttered as she then grabbed a long sleeved shirt to put on top of her tank top. Vinnie observed her movements.

"Personally, I think it's a crime to cover anything this studly..." Vinnie smirked as he pointed at himself . Charley gave a quick glance at his naked torso but turned her look away as feeling her cheeks getting redder. No need for him to see her reactions to his body, that man's ego was already in a league of its' own... But man, did he look good. He always did tough. Even after battles, all sweatty and dirty, he somehow always seemed to glow no matter what the circumstances were.

"Well, some of us still have this thing called modesty..." Charley commented then, passing him as she headed towards the main hall. Vinnie hurried after her.

"Hey...It's hard to be modest when you're simply the best!"

"That's a bulletproof logic right threre..." Charley gave a laugh.

x

x

All the Freedom Fighters or what was left of them were now gathered in the main hall, they were sitting around the one long wooden table that fitted them just barely. Aprilia and her ex-medic friend from the war Beretta were also sitting there along with Harley and Charley. There was just a little over dozen of Fighters present as two Fighters were still lying in the infirmary after their severe traumas from their time of captivity in the Government's Secret Desert Base.

The Fighters were all talking and laughing excitedly and sipping sodas. The rumour about the water been found from the tunnels had already circled everyone and they were secretly thinking that Stoker should've had stored beer in the Headquarters just to celebrate this piece of news but they had to stick with berry sodas for now.

Their heads turned towards the hallway where they heard voices and soon Stoker appeared alongside with Simson, the leader of the rebel rat group, talking together about something. Just some metres after them came the small bunch of rebel rats that were also called to this little meeting.

The rats seated to the other table and Simson sat on top of it, his boots on the bench. Stoker walked to the other end of the mice' table but took care to place himself so that the rats could see him also.

"Okay...I guess everyone knows by now..." He started after clearing his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen: There's water on Mars." He nodded at his men and everyone cheered loudly, raising their sodas up in the air.

"So, that's the good news..." Stoker didn't let the racket go on too long. Gods know, if the Fighters started to party they'd be here all night...

"And the bad news...?" The dark brown furred Maico asked rising her eyebrow, taking this time to shine her hand gun.

"The bad news are that it seems that someone is keeping that water all for themselves...And we can't really know how much there really is water hidden somewhere..."

"Hard to guess who those creeps are who are hidin' the water..." Haden, the tan coloured, ginger mohawked male snorted.

"Yes, it seems that the government's behind all this..." Stoker answered but was cut off by Simson who tapped his other boot calmly against the bench, perching on the table.

"You mean_ your_ government? The Cave Mice' government's behind this all... Just like it has been behind every stupid move on this planet from the day one..."

"Hey, look who's talkin'! Mace wasn't totally innocent when it came to the Plutarkian invasion either!" Vinnie raised his voice and Simson turned his glare on him.

"Hey, pretty boy, Mace doesn't equal as all the rats, just so you know. It was his own decision to betray Mars."

"Well it was the Martian Council who sold our planet in the first place to those slimeballs and there sat also rats' representatives so don't act like the rats haven't been involved in this at all..." Modo mumbled back and now Simson's eyes were set on him.

"The Martian Council is a joke. Everyone knows that the Mice have been in charge of that since the day it was presented and they call all the shots! You mice always seem to know better than anyone else and you'd gladly wipe the rest of us from this planet if ya ever got the chance..." Simson looked at Modo who merely turned around to concentrate on his soda again.

"Not against that plan at all..." Modo muttered under his breath, taking a sip from his bottle but Simson still caught that and he quickly stepped down from the bench and took a few steps closer to Modo who gave him another look, from head to toes.

"Ya really wanna take ya chance?" He raised his eyebrow at the rat.

Throttle rolled his eyes behind his specs and got up, standing between Simson and Modo.

"C'mon, let's all just chill...We're all here to decide what to do next...Together." The tan furred male pointed the words to his bro but also to the rat infront of them, to whom he gave a meaningful look.

"Ah'm chill..." Modo concluded taking another sip from his soda.

"Yup, we're in this together." Stoker concluded, leaning to his palms while watching the scene unravelling before his eyes. He watched as some of the Fighters glared at the rats sitting in the other table and some of the rats glaring them back. Stoker was silently thinking before he then straightened his back.

"I'd like to point out to everyone here that we're in this together and we're all equals here. If we want to fight together we have to respect one another. That goes for everyone. That's the basic rule for the Freedom Fighters and that's the only rule that could make this work. We fight for the whole planet."

There was a silence and the mice as well as the rats glanced at each other.

Stoker turned to Simson who was again sitting on the table.

"That's why I let the rats to fight with us during the Plutarkian war. It's a shame that Mace turned out to be a traitor of the planet but it doesn't mean that all the rats are traitors. There's a rotten apple in every bunch I guess..."

Simson nodded and then gave his men a look before setting his eyes on the leader of the Resistance again.

"Well, I can say that all my men are highly motivated to fight for this planet and we have no hatred for you guys. But I don't want my men to feel threatened in here."

"That goes without saying. Don't worry, I'll deal with that issue." Stoker said with a lot of weight in his voice. He then scratched his neck tiredly before giving a sigh.

"I'm only hoping that one day Mars will be free from all the corruption and that all the citizens, all the races could live here without a fear and that all the citizens of Mars would have a mutual interest to make this planet better. If we really find out there's water hidden somewhere that could mean it's the new start for our planet but that doesn't mean a shit if we're not getting along." Stoker gave a look around the room. There was another silence. The Commander then waved at his men.

"Okay, let that thought come and haunt into your dreams...It's been a long night. Let's everybody go get some sleep...Tomorrow we'll start to make a plan."

As everyone slowly started to make their way out of the main hall and towards their sleeping quarters Harley walked to Stoker who looked somewhat lost in his thoughts.

Harley gave a small nod.

"Good speech, Stoke..."

"Yeah, like ya bought it... You hate rats also and don't wanna have anything to do with them."

"That's right, but hey I'm just a very stubborn girl..." Harley talked back but then gave Stoker a look.

"You're tired?"

"I don't know... Guess I am but I'm also guessing the sleep won't be coming easy..."

"Well, come, let's make some tea first..." Harley put her arm around him and nudged him into movement.

x

x

Next morning came quickly and there started to be movement around the base. Modo walked the hallway, putting on his green Fighter vest but had left out the shirt from underneath it, they had been so accustomed to go shirtless on Earth that it just felt more natural this way. Stoker walked by and he then nodded at the grey furred giant.

"Ah, Modo..."

"Mornin' coach."

"Just the guy I was hopin' to see..."

"Alright, what's up?"

"Well, we were just talking with Simson while having the breakfast and he said that they'd need some equipment from their own base to bring here... I told them that you could go and help."

Modo blinked at this.

"Ya kiddin' right?"

"Nope."

"Why me?"

"It'll do you good to spend some time with the rats."

"Ah'd rather have nothin' to do with them..."

"Yeah, I know... It's a shame that I'm callin' the shots around here..." Stoker nodded, not a least bit sorry as he tapped Modo on his back and left.

"You're leavin' in about an half and hour, get yourself ready!"

Modo watched at the old fighter's fleeting figure.

"Alone? Any other fighter joinin' me?! Modo asked.

"You're a big man, you can deal with it on your own...And who knows you might end up even tolerating the rats..." Stoker only chuckled after him.

"Yeah, well don't put ya money on it...!" Modo hollored after him before he left towards the main hall.

x

x

It was still early but Charley was already on it to fix the three bros's bikes. She was glad that there was the opportunity to work around here so the time didn't drag here under the ground. She was humming a tune while screwing a part to its' place. Harley was having her hands full with the other bikes, it was good that there were so many machines around and that the guys seemed to end up destroying the very machines in one way or another everytime they did bring the bikes outside so there was always something to work on. Harley gave a look at Charley's direction under her brows.

She had to admit that there was still something lingering in the air between them but she couldn't really place it what it was but it made this air between them a bit thick. She cleared her throat, maybe talking could help to ease up the atmosphere.

"So...Charley. How have you settled in here?"

"Well...I guess as well as any Earthling can settle in living on Mars..." Charley chuckled but then wiped her forehead. This was what she enjoyed, getting her hands dirty from the early hours of the day until it was again time to call it a night.

"I guess... I can really understand now how the guys seemed to be a bit flabbergasted about everything when they arrived on Earth... Everything's just a bit weird."

"Weird?" Harley laughed at this remark.

"Yeah, like even the little things...Guess I just realized how many things I used to take as a granted while living in Chicago, on Earth. I mean, you guys have water rations and all. Just the idea of taking a regular shower, with water, seems now like such a luxury thing to do..."

"Yeah... That does sound amazing. But maybe we're soon past all that, if there really is water somewhere stored..." Harley talked back.

"When did exactly all that happen? When did the water disappear?"

"There's been drought as long as I can remember... I mean Mars has never been a planet full of plants and water but just enough to get us by. There was an ocean though and some lakes but putting in perspective, it wasn't that large portion of the whole planet that consisted of water back then either... But when the Plutarkins came and started to stripmine the planet they shipped also every last drop of water they could find to Plutark as well so then this place turned from a planet that scarcely came by to a planet that does not come by at all..."

"What if the Fighters could find out where the water is storaged? What happens then?"

Harley thought for a second, repairing the bike in silence before she gave her a look.

"Then I guess it just means that we're saved. That the planet is saved and there's a future for all of us after all."

Charley raised her look to meet hers. In all honesty, she had spent so little time in the red planet that she still had hard time to get her mind wrapped around some things. She felt so privileged and even if she really tried to understand the Martians, she knew she really couldn't. She really could't understand how it really feels to live your whole life in a planet that's constantly on a verge of war, with a knowledge that it could all come to an end. No life can survive without water and even if the Martians had come up with different solutions to get by from day to day, they all knew that in the end it just wouldn't be enough. In the end it all could just be for nothing. Charley turned to work on the bike again her mind now a bit clouded.

x

x

"You let Modo go alone with the rats?" Throttle walked over to Stoker who was in this hall filled with monitors, sitting on a chair in a relaxed manner while looking at Rimfire working with one of the machines.

"Don't worry, he's a big guy, he can take care of himself..." Stoker only replied.

"Well, I'm more concerned about the rats..." Throttle mumbled while taking a seat next to Stoker.

"Yeah, I told Stoker that myself...I mean uncle Modo's a chill dude and has numerous soft spots but the rats just ain't one of them..." Rimfire chuckled his head inside one of the machines, his voice echoing a bit.

"Lighten up, both of you, he might be a bit unpredictable when riled up but he's also a good soldier and can take orders. Anyway, this does him good..."

"So, we have reasons to trust Simson's men? Since we do have had some quarrel between us in the past, with the rats I mean..." Throttle gave him a look.

"If we ought to leave out everyone we've had a quarrel with over the past hundred years we'd be quite alone in this battle... Anyway, I'm having a good instinct when it comes to people and I have a good feeling about that Simson..."

"Good instinct? Like ya did have with Mace, hu?" Rimfire babbled with a light chuckle still halfway inside the machine.

"Hey, kid. More work on the computer less roasting on the elders, punk..." Stoker snapped at the young male. The old fighter then turned his look on the tan furred mouse next to him.

"You got any sleep?"

"Yes, some..."

"Good. 'Cause I have an important task for you."

"Whatever you ask, coach..."

"I want you to prepare the attack to the Army base to save Carbine. And while you're at it you can start figuring out how we're gonna get that water."

Throttle gave him a glance.

"Me? Ain't that your job? Not that I would mind but you're the leader, we all trust you here..."

"I was thinking to give you the job."

"What job?"

"Being the leader." Stoker then said with a straight face and turned to Throttle.

"What are you saying, Stoker?" Throttle didn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"I'm saying... That I want you to take my place as the Leader of the Resistance." Stoker talked calmly. They heard a clang from inside the machine and turned their heads quickly to Rimfire who was stroking his head, gritting his teeth in a slight pain since he had banged his head inside the machine. But he recovered from this rather quickly and just stared at them.

"Throttle's gonna be our new leader?!"

"Hey, I haven't said yes to anything...! Stoker...!" Throttle then turned his head to the old commander.

"You can't quit...!"

"I'm not quittin' I'm just thinkin' what's best for the Fighters and I know I'm not gettin' any younger here... I know you Throttle, I've known you many years and I know what you're capable of. You're a great fighter but you can also lead. We've seen that many times. The Freedom Fighters deserves the best and you're the best leader to guide us in the future."

"But..." Throttle was very dumbfounded and that happened rarely.

"No buts, comrade..." Stoker flashed his trademark smirk and tapped him on the back.

"You'll be a great leader."

Throttle was still too flabbergasted to say anything but he heard suddenly a sniffing sound and watched as Rimfire just waved his hand and turned his wet eyes away from them.

"Don't mind me... I'm just... This is just so touchin' moment..."

Throttle gave a chuckle but then gave Stoker another look.

"You're really sure about this, coach?"

"Positive, punk."

Throttle nodded. It was an incredible honour and he had to admit he was very touched by this gesture. He got up from his chair as did Stoker and they hugged each other, tapping each others' backs. Stoker then gave him a look.

"But I won't be callin' ya sir!"

"Don't ya even dare to try." Throttle chuckled warmly back.

x

x

It was dim and the smell under here, in the rats' secret hideout was stuffy. Modo looked around himself, having his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the doorway, glaring around him as the rats were scurryingly gathering stuff into the boxes and bags. Modo turned his glare on them.

"Hurry up, will ya? Ah ain't got the whole day here..." The grey furred male mumbled.

The dark brown furred leader of the rats, scratched his scalp under his short black mohawk.

"Somewhere ya need to be, soldier boy?" Simson asked.

"Yeah, as far from this rathole as possible.." Modo muttered back. Simson only gave a little laugh but then turned to his men.

"Okay, hurry up guys... We don't wanna piss off our friendly bodyguard here..."

"Ah'm not ya bodyguard. Ah don't even know why Ah'm here..." Modo rumbled.

"Well, if I could take a wild guess you're here since your leader is a wise man..."

"What does that mean?" Modo snorted a question towards him, still glaring from the background. Simson only shrugged his shoulders, he didn't care to explain. Instead he started to gather guns into one bag. He registered that Modo made a slight movement, his bionic arm making a small sound as he moved it a bit, sending vibes that he would be ready to fight if the situation came to that.

"Relax, big man..." Simson talked nonchalantly and then suddenly threw a rifle at Modo's direction.

"Here, have a look. These babies are the best rifles out there...!"

Modo caught the rifle and observed it for a moment.

"It's alright...Maybe a bit dated model, though..." He muttered, trying not to sound impressed even if he slightly was when seeing this shiny big piece of metal in his hands. Simson gave another chuckle as he then came to take the rifle from him and Modo let go of it (he had made sure it wasn't loaded already). The rat put the rifle into the big canvas bag along with the other ones and zipped it close.

"So, what's your story?"

"Hm?"

"What's your excuse to hate us rats so much... "

"Ah don't think Ah'm the only mouse on Mars havin' doubts over you..."

"I know... And the doubt is mutual from both sides, it has been as long as I can remember, rats against mice, mice against rats...It really has deep roots. But what I'm sensin' from you is more than just doubt."

"Ah have my reasons."

"Care to share them?" Simson talked, careful not to make any eye contact with the grey furred mouse and was just gathering stuff along the way.

"Donno if Ah need to."

"Oh, c'mon... I'm only intrigued, that's all. Wouldn't ya wanna know the reasons if someone really hated you with that much passion?"

Modo glared at him, tapping his fingers but then gave a deep sigh and glanced around the hideout place that looked more like a storageroom with beds and a cooker. He let his eye wander around before it settled back to Simson.

"Fine, maybe time will go quicker when talkin'..." He thought out loud.

"It usually does..." Simson answered casually.

"Ya know Coal Bay?"

"Yes, it is in the North East, isn't it?"

"It was."

Simson gave him a look but turned it away again.

"Okay... So it _was_ in the North East..." He then contemplated something before giving another look to the grey furred mouse.

"Ain't that place in the rats' territory?"

"It is now..." Modo's gaze was piercing the rat leader and he only looked away.

"Okay, what about it?"

"Ah used to live there when it still wasn't part of the rats' territory. Back when Ah was little, when my father was still alive."

Simson didn't comment on that, he just stayed silent while gathering stuff. Modo changed his posture a bit.

"It was this little town that had all it's income from the mining industry and fishing, all the men worked in the mines or as fishermen...This was when there actually was water on Mars so it was fairly lively little harbour town."

Simson gave him a look but then only nodded and let him continue.

"Anyway, Ah remember been about six or seven years old when the rats came in town and burnt down all the houses and bombed the whole area...Some mice were killed and as the whole area was destroyed everyone had to flee from there. We ended up as homeless for a short period of time before we finally moved to Brimstone City." Modo talked, looking at the floor and his boots thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry that happened." Simson turned to him and on his face there was real sorrow to be detected.

"But I can't stress enough that you can't hate us all if only a few of us has done somethin' wrong. And I do say that was wrong what happened."

"Well, haven't still met a trustworthy rat in my life. Mace' betrayel didn't exactly raise your points in my eyes." Modo muttered back.

"So, you know who those rats were? To whom they were working for?" Simson asked and Modo only shrugged his shoulders.

"Donno... It was in a great location in defense-wise and it was near the rats' borders as well... Maybe they didn't need any more reasons."

"So, does your mom hate the rats also since that happened to your family?" Simson asked carefully.

"No...But she's a saint." Modo talked absent-mindedly as he let his gaze go around the place again. Then he spotted something. A photo stuck into the fridge door. He took a few steps forward and took a look at the photo.

"Who's family is this?"

"Mine..." Simson concluded.

"They're still around? They wait for you somewhere?"

"Yeah...Well, I can only hope so... Haven't talk to my wife or kids ever since we fled the rat territory to escape Mace' troops many years ago. They would've hurted the families otherwise, we had no choice but to leave them behind."

Modo observed the photo that showed a smiling young rat female and two children.

"Boys or girls?" He asked.

"One of each." Simson gave a quick warm smile, as if the memory of his family suddenly filled him with love but he quickly erased that and gave his men a look who seemed to be ready.

"You're ready?" Simson asked and the burgundy coloured rat nodded.

"We're ready, comrade."

"Good, then we can take and..." Simson was to say "leave" but was interrupted as they suddenly started to hear the sounds of firing and the earth above them suddenly shook violently. Modo became alerted and he gave Simson a look.

"Expectin' visitors?"

"No, but I guess some visitors come without a warning...! Guys, let's take the stuff and retreat! We'll use our own tunnels to escape! To the bikes now!"

Simson shouted over the rumble and sounds of firing as there started to drop pieces of rock from the ceiling.

x

x

x

x

_And there it was the second chapter!_

_Hope you guys like it!_

_And please leave a comment, I love to read what you guys are thinking!_

_Take care,_

_-SpaceFlora_


	3. Chapter 3: Shake 'n Rattle 'n Rumble

_Hi!_

_Well, I managed to get the third chapter ready, maybe it's the summer and all the freetime that's got me on a roll like this..._

_Also I did have bits and pieces ready before uploading this sequel here so it's just a bit quicker to write when there's already some stuff and storyline ready._

_Okay, well there's some action finally in here, so get ready!_

_And for a reminder, comments are always a super-super cool thing! Thanks for you who have been reviewing and reading this story! Warms my heart!_

_Okay, here's chapter three, enjoy!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 3**

**Shake 'n Rattle 'n Rumble**

Charley had used the sonic shower as she had sweated the whole morning with the bikes. She had to admit she would need to use the Martian equalent for a shower quite many times before really getting comfortable with this weird way of getting oneself clean. It was nothing like the showers she had gotten used to while living on Earth, mainly because the shower lacked the water.

To use the sonic shower one had to step inside the booth and then press the button and suddenly there came a little humming sound and lights went on around her and the little beams of light started to go around her in a dizzyingly quick pace, a faint humming sound filling the booth. While using the sonic shower the first time, Charley had started to laugh as it had reminded her of a disco, be it a very crammed disco for one person.

She had doubted that she could get herself clean with that weird machine but she had to admit that she felt fresh after stepping out of it, while wrapping the towel around her. Of course it wasn't the warm comfortable sensation after a nice hot shower and she couldn't use any shampoos or soaps but still somehow she smelled good. She wondered what types of electonic particles she had shared the shower with. Maybe she could someday study the sonic shower more closely and have a look inside how it really worked and all. But right now, she was pleased as she could feel herself clean again.

She left the shower, wearing only a towel around her as she put on her boots and walked towards her room.

She was just about to open the door to her room but it was closed again by Vinnie who suddenly leaned against it.

"Hi, there sweetheart!"

"Hey, babe!" Charley smiled at him, trying this new way of calling what now seemed to be her new boyfriend. Atleast she tried, right, it felt a bit weird after all these years...But Vinnie always used petnames for her so it would maybe be atleast polite or concidered from her part to try this new dialogue... Vinnie seemed a bit surprised by this response also, his ears perking suddenly and his always cheery look turned momentarily a little baffled but as he was Vinnie, he didn't seemed to get stuck with it for too long and his smile only got a bit wider now as he stood there, leaning against her door, observing her.

"So, what's up...?" Charley asked as she corrected the towel around her, like it was her normal day-to-day attire.

"Oh, nothin' much..."Vinnie drawled as his eyes briefly studied her from head to toes, a slight grin appearing on his features.

"Just bored..."

"Figured..." Charley gave a little smile but then cleared her throat.

"So...Maybe if you didn't have anything else I could go and dress myself...?"

"Are ya sure? That look suit ya, doll!"

"Well, it might not be the most practical look to wear around here." Charley mused.

"But it sure is quick to undress!" Vinnie smirked but then realized how it must've sounded like and he cleared his throat.

"I mean..."

"I know what you meant, don't worry I'm pretty used to your foot-in-mouth disease." Charley only chuckled back.

Vinnie scratched his neck now a bit awkwardly, giving her a glance. Charley turned to her door again.

"So...Maybe I'll just..." Charley pointed towards her door and Vinnie cleared his throat and nodded quickly, taking a step aside.

"Yeah, sure, doll... You do that, don't want you catchin' a cold or somethin'..."

Charley only smiled at him back and then opened the door and was to close it behind her but something made her stop and she gave a look at the still a bit distracted looking white furred male. Charley bit her lower lip while thinking. She then walked over to him again and planted a kiss on his lips, sweetly. Vinnie answered to that and slowly gathered his hands on her waist before she pulled back but just so she could regard him with her green eyes. Vinnie thought that it didn't matter how many times he saw those eyes, they were always mezmerising, like two emeralds, sparkling.

While standing so close to each other she looked deep into his eyes, reading them, trying to find answers to questions they had never spoken out loud. She suddenly came to a realisation that this white furred Martian had stolen a very special spot in her heart. She could honestly say that he was her best friend. No matter how irritating he might be sometimes, he was still closer to her than no one had ever been to her. She had been very reluctant to let anyone come near her through-out her life but slowly but surely this man, standing now so close to her she could feel his breathing against her naked skin, had managed to touch something inside her. She really had needed this type of hurricane to come into her life to really see what was important in life. She knew that now, while looking at him.

If someone would have told her many years ago that her best friend would be a six foot tall Martian mouse riding a motorcycle and with a deep affection for destruction, she would've thought it was the craziest shit that she had ever heard. But now, here they were and here he was. Still. After everything. She now knew that she couldn't stand the idea of living without this adrenaline junkie, even if he was an overwhelming persona in many senses a lot of times, she still loved him. She had loved him for quite sometime but it felt like every hour that feeling only grew. This is what she wanted, what she had wanted for a long time. She had never known that she had felt lonely or lost but when he had entered her life, she suddenly had felt that she had gotten home. She finally belonged to somewhere.

Charley regarded at him for a little longer, emotions building up inside her and maybe he felt it radiating from her since his look became more intense as he was gazing her back, stroking gently her auburn hair off her eyes, touching that soft and tender spot just behind her ear. Charley closed her eyes for a moment but when she opened them again, she took his hand and then with a gentle tug, she lead him inside her room.

x

x

It was dark but luckily the headlamps of the bikes showed them the way through the tunnels. Modo was driving Lil' Hoss, cursing all the time in his mind how he had thought about just kicking it back today, have that talk with Rimfire and then maybe watch some sports... He enjoyed being a Fighter just like the next one but he just wished that somedays could be a little less action-packed... He didn't need to smell the gunpowder and get his ears defeaned by the explosions everyday. Heck he still didn't hear properly with his other ear since the eardrum had raptured during the massive explosion inside the government's secret desert base just some days ago.

His thoughts were interrupted as Simson suddenly pulled his bike into a halt and showed the rats and Modo a handsignal to stop as well. Modo made a quick stop, the backtire sliding and opened up his visor.

"Why we stopped? Ain't we on a run?" He asked Simson who only showed him to be quiet. Modo gave him a glare but listened and he actually could hear something, with his good ear that was. The noise got louder and nearer and Modo immidiately knew that sound as he had heard that so many times during his lifetime he hadn't been bothered to even count the times.

"They're bombing the tunnels from above! Let's move!" Simson shouted and as they started their bikes again, they heard another thunder just above them and the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed.

x

x

Stoker walked over to Throttle, holding a cup of tea as the tan furred male was looking at the maps that were covering a large portion of the long table.

"So...How is it going, chief?" Stoker had an amused smirk on him while blowing into the steaming hot cup of tea. Throttle only gave a laugh back, scratching his neck.

"Well, I guess, if we really had the help from inside the Army base...This plan really could work. These tunnels the rats have dug are a painfully large maze but if we checked the route beforehand we'll get there to save Carbine and out of there in no time before anyone could even smell something's up..." Throttle then contemplated the idea in his mind. To save Carbine...That was new. She from all the mice he had known never had needed to be rescued...until now.

"You know when it's her date with the judge?" Stoker asked while taking a seat and placing the cup on top of one of the maps, leaving a little faint circle on it.

"Yeah, Rimfire hacked the government's sites and he found all this data on her..."

Throttle pointed at the big pile of papers that Rimfire had printed out. Stoker gave a little frown.

"That's a lot of data..."

"Well, half of it is entirely made up or atleast exaggerated... But they do have a case there. She did help us and have been helping us along the way and they've got some proofs. She didn't do that to betray the government but it can be twisted to appear so... " Throttle muttered.

"That's my niece...Doing the right thing even if it would take her behind the bars..." Stoker thought out loud. Throttle gave him a look but then heard someone entering the main hall and saw Rimfire walking in with a big bag of chips, munching them loudly the same time. He looked around the main hall and then stopped eating the chips.

"Uncle ain't back yet?" The tall young male asked.

"No... Haven't seen them." Throttle answered and turned his eyes on the clock on the wall. He had been so caught up with the plans that he had not seen the time passing by this quickly. It was already way past lunchtime, the rats along with Modo had been away already for four hours. And Modo wasn't the one to miss the lunch, not if it was up to him.

"Has he send any messages or called?" Stoker asked and Rimfire only shook his head.

"No... Do I try to reach him? To ask if they're doin' okay there?" Rimfire asked.

"Sure, yeah do that... I'm sure they're okay, otherwise Modo would've contacted us if they needed the help..." Throttle pondered but was slighly worried that something was not right here.

x

x

Modo groaned as he raised his head a bit but then dropped it back again, having the feeling like the most painful headache just hit him. He was lying stomach down on the cold tunnel floor, and now that he moved a bit he could feel a pain jolting from his left leg also. He carefully tried to lift his head up and looked around him but it was pitch black, only one light cutting the darkness, coming from Lil'Hoss' headlamp.

"Lil' Hoss!" He raised his voice that was now raspier than usual. There wasn't any sound back.

"Hey, Lil' Darlin'...Ya hurt?" Modo raised his voice even more but the bike remained silent, lying on its' side. That was very unusual, normally his bike was the loudest one of the bunch and higly chatty but now there was only silence. He immidiately got worried about her and tried to raise himself from the floor and even if his left leg did hurt as did his head, he managed to sat up. His eye had gotten used to the darkness a bit by now and he tried to see around him. There were bigger and smaller rocks scattered everywhere. Maybe one of the big rocks dropped from the ceiling had knocked him out he thought as he then got up. Luckily he had had his helmet on, otherwise he might not be standing here...

He touched his leg carefully and felt a torn fabric and as his fingers got to the bare skin part on his thigh, he gritted his teeth in pain, there was a bad cut on it but not too severe to unable him to walk with it. Hopefully it was only a mild scratch Modo thought but was actually grateful for the darkness as he thought that if he didn't see it he might as well could try to forget about it, pretending it did not exist. He slightly limped to his bike and knelt down, and the hurt leg did not appreaciate that move as he spitted a few cursewords but then calmed down a bit and stroked one of Lil'Hoss forks.

"Hey...Darlin'? Ya okay...?" But there wasn't any answer to his question still. He was getting really worried now but stroked his bike lovingly.

"It's okay, Ah'm here..." He whispered but then heard a grunt and some mumbling sound coming behind him and he jerked up as he remembered he infact had not been alone when this all had happened.

"Simson?" He asked carefully from the darkness around him. He now observed his surroundings with more detail. From the other side the tunnel was blocked with what seemed to be a huge pile of heavy looking rocks and on the other side there stood so big a rock that it majestically stood taller than Modo, nearly blocking the whole tunnel from that end, leaving Modo trapped in the middle. There was another grunt and he tried to locate where it came from.

"Simson?" He asked again and then walked over to the massive rock that he could not go around. Only a small opening was to be seen on top of the rock but otherwise it looked like it was jammed. He traced the rock with his flesh hand but then stepped on something and he stopped. Even if it was dark, he could not be mistaken of the thing lying there on the ground, like a snake.

"Simson? Ya okay?" Modo quickly but hesitantly raised his voice again.

"I have been slightly better..." Simson's voice was now heard after another string of grunts and moans.

Modo tried to circle the rock to see the one who was behind the voice but couldn't do that. He sighed.

"Ah can't get there, this rock is blocking the whole tunnel..."

Simson snorted.

"Your power of observation is astoundin'..."

Modo took a deep breath, tamping down his sudden urge to get mad at this remark and cleared his throat again.

"Your tail..." He then started, changing the topic.

"Yes, it got under the rock...And yes I'm aware this is somewhat a problem..." Simson's voice echoed slightly on the other side of the rock.

Modo looked around him but he knew it all ready, there was no way out. They both were trapped in a different way. He scratched his brow for a minute.

"Ya bleedin'?" The grey furred male asked somewhat absent-mindedly, trying to think the same time.

"Hard to say..."

"Well, we need to get you out from here so we can get you help..."

"Out? And how were you plannin' on doing that if you don't mind me asking...? I'm currently pinned down under a gigantic rock if it somehow escaped your attention..."

"Ah can try and move it..?" Modo asked in-between but heard a vague snort again.

"Right..."

"Look, ya want my help or not?!" Modo's eye then flamed up.

"Easy there, soldier...There's not really much ya can do I'm afraid..."

Modo had his arms crossed over is chest and he looked displeased. He gave his head a shook his eye still blinking a little but he then turned to the stone and tried to find a good place to place his both hands before he then took a deep breath and gathered all his strentgh before pushing, the same time his leg made a complaint and he gritted his teeth, trying to endure the pain and the rock slightly nudged.

"What on Deimos's name are ya doing?!" Simson cried out loud seeing the stone moving slightly.

"Movin' the rock! What does it look like?!" Modo pushed the stone but all he could do was to nudge it a bit further to the side before his hurt leg nearly gave up and he made a cry of pain and let go of the stone, holding his leg up if that could maybe somehow ease the pain a little.

"See... We're trapped." Simson only sighed from the other side of the stone and laid his head on the ground, tiredly. He didn't actually feel any pain anymore, the tail was numb.

"Your bike's there? You could try to get a signal through, send a message for the others?" The rat then asked.

"No can do, my bike's...hurt." Modo didn't know how else to refer to that and a pang of worry over his beloved bike hit him again. He gave his bike a look but it remained silent, only the headlamp shedding some light to the surroundings.

"How does it look like on that side?" Simson asked.

"Jammed..." Modo let out a deep sigh.

"The tunnel's blocked pretty good..." He then explained more.

"Well, I can't see too far since it's really dark in here but I can't spot any rocks covering the tunnel...Doesn't mean there won't be another block further away though..." Simson was mainly thinking out loud to himself and then looked around him again.

"Can't spot or hear any of my comrades either, let's just wish that they got into safety and they'll inform the others..." Simson talked.

Modo was silently wishing that also since right now he didn't really know how to get them both out from here.

There was a deep silence. Simson tried to go through different scenarios in his mind but then he felt the earth shaking just so he could register it. He raised his head from the ground and looked around him. He then felt his hands feeling the slight tremble as well.

"Modo...?" Simson then raised his voice.

"Not now...Ah try to think..." A low baritone was heard from the other side of the gigantic rock.

Simson gave his hands a look, his palms against the cold ground and now he could really see that they were tremoring with the ground.

"Modo!" Simson then shouted alerted.

"What?!"

"What's that tremor!?"

Modo shook his head annoyed but then his eye fell on a pebble on the ground and he saw that jumping and now he could feel the distant rumble himself. He quickly looked around in the dim place and then heard a faint purling sound underneath him. He looked down and saw a small stream of water passing his boots. He just stood there, his mouth gapingly staring at it, it wasn't everyday a Martian saw running water. He quickly recovered from his dumbfoundness and walked over the massive rock again.

"It's water! There's water coming through from somewhere!" He raised his voice, not really sure what this all meant. Simson didn't answer as he just stared at the stream of water that was now passing him also, while he reclined on the ground. The rumble had gotten slightly louder now and the stream had gotten from just a small faint one to a quickly running wider one. Simson just stared at it but then it hit him and he quickly sat up.

"It's another flood! They're flooding the tunnels!"

"Hu?" Modo got to say before he heard rumble behind him and saw that a few rocks had fallen from the big pile that was currently blocking the tunnel from that end.

"That's not good, right...?" Modo only stared at the now even wider stream flowing scurringly past his boots, towards the big rock, circling it and then soaked Simson's pants who was still sitting down but quickly tried to get up but his tail being stuck under the rock, prevented him to rise up.

"We need to get out before the flood comes or else we will drown in here!" Simson shouted and Modo heard another rumble as the rocks were still dropping from the big pile, rolling towards him. The grey furred male quickly turned and tried to move the big rock out of the way but it merely nudged a bit forward.

"We need to get you free first! With the flood this rock could crush ya under it!"

They were both trying to move the rock with all their strength although Simson was in a bit of an awkward posture to try and do that. The dark brown furred rat sighed as the rock did not seem to be moving. He leaned against it, breathing hard as he vaguely felt how the water was already rising to the level of his ankles.

"It's no use, there's atleast 50 tons worth of rock..." He sighed, closing his eyes, dropping down on the water to sit, the level of water already covering his boots. Modo heard that splash.

"Don't give up! We have to do somethin' here!"

"Like what? We tried to move the stone, it didn't move." Simson sounded defeated, stroking his temples.

Modo made an angry grunt, hitting the rock with his bionic arm once, leaning against it, trying to think. He then raised his look to see the bionic arm and the dent he had managed to make onto the rock.

"Ah have an idea."

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Charley was staring at the ceiling, her hair was all over the place, like she had been inside a hurricane. She breathed hard and just stared infront of her, as she could not see or think anything clearly at the moment. If her body could sing it would be letting out the Hallelujah right now. She felt a shifting movement beside her and then a warm kiss placed on her shoulder. She slowly turned her head and met Vinnie's smirk.

"Ya alright there, doll? You look a lil' spaced out..."

Charley let out a weak laughter and shook her head.

"I don't even know... I mean... Oh, my god! I have never...! That was just so...!"

"Unbelievable? Amazing? Totally earthmoving?" Vinnie smirked back.

"You mean marsmoving...?" Charley gave him a look and Vinnie laid on his back, throwing his other arm under his neck, giving a chuckle.

"Hey, details, babe... I'll rock and rattle all the planets if I need to..." He then turned his smile on her and Charley shook her head and planted a little kiss on his chest before crawling to his side, placing her head just under his chin.

"I just had sex with an alien..." Charley then muttered, still looking a little bewildered. Her mind empty but in a state of euphoria the same time.

"Hey, me too!" Vinnie chuckled. Charley started to laugh and Vinnie joined her before rolling her on her back, while kissing her fiercely.

"Uhm...Round two, hu?" Charley asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Hey, pretty lady, I'm here all week..." He grinned back as their lips touched each other again.

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"Uncle Modo's not answerin'...!" Rimfire ran back to the main hall and Throttle and Stoker stood up immidiately, giving each other a look.

"Is there any signal?" Throttle asked.

"No. There's no signal at all. It's like the bike's just vanished..." Rimfire told.

Stoker leaned against the table, sighing, suddenly feeling a wave of guilt washing over him. Why he had told him to go alone? Throttle gave the old commander a look but then turned his look back on Rimfire.

"Go to the computer and feed the coordinates of the tunnels that are near the rats' hideout place! Maybe they're just using the tunnels to get back...Feed first the coordinates for the tunnels heading this way! I'll gather the men and we'll go search them! You just send our bikes the coordinates!" As soon as Throttle had said that Aprilia stepped into the main hall, reading some files the same time but as she saw she had company she gave them three a smile.

"Oh, hello..." But her smile faded as she saw they were all avoiding her eyecontact.

"What?" She asked, turning her head to Rimfire who only gave hasty looks towards Throttle's and Stoker's direction. Aprilia also gave the two men a look.

"What...? You're making me nervous here..."

Throttle cleared his throat.

"It's Modo..."

"Yeah? What about him? Where is he anyway..?" Aprilia asked.

"Out. I sent him to pick some stuff with the rats..." Stoker then stepped into the conversation, taking a step towards Aprilia who still didn't know what all this meant, her look suspicious.

"Okay..."

"Modo's not picking up, we were just about to gather troops and go search them." Throttle told.

"What do you mean he's not picking up?!" Aprilia's voice rose with her concern.

"We can't get a signal of his bike..." Rimfire explained.

"What about other Fighters' bikes?" Aprilia turned to Throttle and Stoker again and the old commander scratched his neck, turning his gaze away again.

"He's alone. There's no other Fighter with them..." He then confessed.

Aprilia stared at Stoker, her big brown eyes now even bigger.

"Alone?! He's there alone without any comrade to back him up?!"

"Look, they were only to pick up a few boxes I didn't think..." Stoker started but the short light brown female cut him off.

"You didn't think there would be any danger while the whole planet's after you?!" Aprilia began to shout, which was not typical of her.

"Look, Aprilia..." Stoker tried to calm her down but the blonde female gave a shook of head.

"No! You're gonna go and find him and bring him back! And if anything happens to him, it's on you, Stoker! It's your fault he's out there alone without his comrades!" Aprilia pointed at Stoker. She then gave all the three males a look.

"I've had it with the damn Fighters! Life's just so fucking cheap to you all!" She turned and stormed out of the main hall.

Stoker shook silently his head, looking at the floor. Rimfire gave him a careful look but then pointed towards the doorway.

"I'm just gonna go and... feed the coordinates to the computer." And he rushed after Aprilia.

"Stoker, she didn't mean that..." Throttle carefully tried but Stoker shook his head again.

"No, she's right. I gave him the order to go alone with the rats, even if we never go alone, that's the rule. I just broke one of my own rules. Whatever happens to him, it's on me." Stoker concluded and he grapped his bike helmet.

"Let's gather the troops and go find them." He said and Throttle followed him, grabbing his own helmet.

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_Alright, that's it, that was that chapter... So a bit more action..._

_And just a little cliffhanger._

_I will try and upload the next one fast but I haven't even started yet so... please be patient!_

_And thanks again to all the readers and reviewers! And feel free to leave a comment!_

_Until next time!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	4. Chapter 4: More of a Theory Than a Plan

_Hey!_

_I have a little chapter ready for you all!_

_Thanks to all of you dear readers and big big thanks for all of you who have been reviewing and commenting! So big big thank you to Vlaatjee, bmfm fangirl and ri987re! And special thanks goes to Aclux who sent me so heartwarming message for these stories! I'm very overwhelmed by your kind words! _

_Thanks to you all_

_and here's the latest chapter!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 4**

**More of a Theory Than a Plan**

"Hey, what's the rush? Are we under attack?!" Vinnie's voice was not as much concerned as it started to near the excitement while he ran to the garage. Everywhere the red light was blinking, informing everyone that something was up and there poured in more and more Fighters.

"It's Modo..." Stoker explained and Vinnie took his helmet already sitting on his bike.

"What? He needs a hand to hold while crossing the desert?" The white furred male chuckled, seemingly pleased with his own wittysism. He quickly put his helmet on, trying to cover his slightly red cheeks after he had been with Charley, for their round two of love making as suddenly the red alert signals had went on in every room, including Charley's bedroom. He had made a somewhat undignified leap out of the bed and fell on the floor before grabbing his jeans and bandoliers in a hurry, still halfway dressed as he had hurried out of the room and towards the garage, shouting cool remarks to Charley like "Keep the bed warm, sweetheart!" and "It's hero-time!"

"We can't track his bike, something's wrong..." Throttle told as he sat on his bike as well, putting on his helmet. He then pointed at two Fighters from the bunch who still just stood there not too sure what was going on.

"Hudson and Maico, you come with me and Vinnie to find out what's going on, the rest of ya could stay here... We'll inform you if we need more back-up!"

Maico rushed to them, tying quickly her long dark brown hair into a bun, to fit under the bike helmet, already ready for their mission and actually thrilled to be riding a bike again with her bros.

"Maybe it's nothin', maybe he just forgot to turn on the tracker...?" She wondered while starting the bike.

"Yeah...or maybe he just ended up whackin' the rats and decided to keep a low profile...?" Hudson chuckled as he sat down on one of the black bikes.

"I don't know, I don't have a good feeling about this..." Throttle muttered.

"Throttle-buddy, just chill...The guy's a tank, he's indestructible. I'm sure he's fine..." Vinnie waved his hand unconcerned and started his bike, revving it.

"That said I will be gutted if there's not destruction and danger waiting for us! It's been too long before we last time put our lives on a line!" The white furred male quickly made a handstand, flexing his legs before sitting down again.

"It's been four days, Vincent." Throttle dryly marked.

"Yeah, like _forever_!" Vincent drawled the last word out and Maico laughed.

"Maybe we could arrange a search-party for your missing brain cells as well, Vin..."

"Ha-ha... Your jokes are so old they grow weed, you know that?" The white furred male snorted back. Throttle gave Stoker a look who was putting on his bike helmet as well and walking to his bike.

"You come along too, Stoker?" Throttle asked.

"It's my fault he's there in the first place, it's only right for me to come with you guys..." Stoker replied as he then showed one Fighter to open the doors of this big garage and they gunned their bikes into the desert.

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"So, lemme get this straight... You want to bomb this stone into a million pieces...?" Simson's voice asked his voice full of doubt behind the rock. Modo was standing by Lil'Hoss that he had lifted on a bigger and flatter stone to prevent the machine get more wet since the water level was already up to his knees, which meant that the water reached already Simson over his thighs.

"Not bomb! Just making it to explode with lasers..." Modo corrected.

"Oh, well...In that case...What a relief." Simson muttered. Modo rolled his good eye.

"Hey, Ah'm all ears if ya wanna share all your brilliant ideas!"

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm a wee bit sceptical about an idea which includes me standing next to an explosion! I cannot just take off and run to cover, remember!" Simson shouted back and yanked his pinned-down tail for a reference but ofcourse Modo couldn't see that.

"Well, Ah'm a wee bit worried also that that levee's gonna break any second and we'll drown!" Modo bellowed back.

"I know! Deimos, I know!"

"If we both just aimed our laser guns at that rock, it'll.."

"Blow up, I know! I wasn't implying the plan wouldn't work out! I was merely trying to point out a single little error in it and that was me endin' up dead!" Simson raised his voice but all Modo could concentrate was a few bigger rocks rolling downhill from the big pile of rocks that currently was blocking the flood pouring into the tunnels. The rocks splashed into the water hard near the tall grey mouse and cold chill suddenly crossed his back as there was some weird rumbling sound to be heard just on the other side of the levee of rocks as the water tried to break its' way through it. Modo looked around him, desperately trying to find another way out but there wasn't one. The only possible way out for him would be behind that big boulder which was at the moment standing between him and Simson.

"Okay, you know what, not to sound insensitive or an asshole here, but that tail's a goner anyway, just shoot it off!" Modo raised his voice as he turned his look on the big boulder again like it would be it instead of Simson talking to him.

"Just shoot it off?!" Simson echoed back with a snort.

"Yeah! Ah'm not gonna die over a tail here!" Modo raised his voice and another big rock splashed into the water and making his back wet. Modo quickly drew his tail more near him, under the water and curled it around his own calf, no reason for both of them to lose their tails.

"And Ah'm definitely not gonna die over a rat's tail..!" He then snorted, his mood already taken a darker turn. He usually was somewhat laidback but putting things into perspective there started to be a certain amount of feeling of finality lingering in the air.

"Okay, now you do sound a bit of an asshole..." Simson concurred.

"Look, ya wanna keep ya tail or your life?!" Modo's eye flashed with red, suddenly giving more light into the tunnels.

"I want you to keep ya mouth shut! So, I can think!" Simson shouted back.

"Ah don't take orders from a rat!" Modo hit the rock from his side so hard with his bionic arm that the boulder actually trembled violently and a good piece of it came down crumbling, splashing into the water.

Simson gave a sigh. The tail was a goner, he knew that already. Well the half of it anyway, he didn't have any feeling in it anymore, it was numb.

Simson heard Modo wading in the water, the red glow still throwing deep crimson shadows on the walls of the tunnel. The dark brown furred rat closed his eyes. They would maybe have only minutes to save themselves. He knew already what to do. But making that decision was the easy part, the hard part would be to execute it...He felt his stomach turn even in the thought of it. He tried to calm down his nerves and took a deep breath and then...let the breath out.

On the other side of the rock Modo sighed, running his palms over his face, feeling exhausted and sat down on one of the bigger stones that had rolled down from the levee of rocks. He tried to ignore the ache coming from his hurt leg and certainly tried to avoid looking at the wound. He had earlier wrapped a bandana he had found from Lil' Hoss side compartment around his left thigh to prevent it bleed too much.

"Okay." Simson then raised his voice with determination and tried to get his back straightened as much as it was possible for him as his tail was pinning him down. The water would be soon on the level of his stomach.

Modo barely registered what the rat was talking, he touched the water absent-mindedly, trying to come up with anything useful at this point. The water felt slightly cold while letting his fingers run under it. Water. On Mars. After all this time. The bringer of life. It was slightly ironic that the very thing could actually turn out to be his downfall, the thing that could soon cause him his life. He let his fingers still run under the water, the silkyness of it calming him down. Soon the red glow of his eye was gone and there fell a darkness over the tunnel again, only Lil' Hoss headlamp crossing it sharply.

Water had always had the calming effect on him, when he had been a kid he had been fishing out on the ocean with his father and then years after that on a lake with his niece and nephew. It was where he could feel his mind rest...

Suddenly there was a loud bang and Modo jerked up immidiately wading quickly towards the stone.

"Simson?! Simson! Ya okay?!" Was the situation already so bad that the rat had ended up taking his own life?

"Fuck! Oh, shit, shit, shit...!" Simson's voice echoed behind the stone and Modo sighed relieved but as he leaned on the rock and dropped his head down he noticed something lingering in the water. Blood. Modo's eye turned back on the stone, tracing its' surface nervously with his flesh fingers.

"Simson?! Are ya okay?!"

"Oh fuck! Man, that's a lot of blood...! Shit...!" Simson only cursed out loud.

"You...Did you just...?" Modo didn't know how to arrange his words, feeling slightly sick on his stomach while entertaining the thought of it alone in his head.

"Yeah... I just...shot my tail off... It was a goner, just like ya said..." Simson merely got to say in-between his long string of cursewords, sounding surprisingly calm about the matter himself. Modo watched as that trail of blood was soon circling the big boulder, on the surface of the water and it stained his own camos too, making them deeper red, almost black.

"Wrap the tail up quickly! And wrap it tightly!" Modo raised his voice.

"Yeah, sure...yeah, I'm on it...Wrappin' wrappin'...Let's see here..." Simson babbled somewhat sounding a bit distracted and unoriented. Maybe this wasn't calmness after all, maybe this was starting to become a state of shock...

"Use your shirt! We don't want you to bleed out...!" Modo instructed.

"Oh? Don't we...? One rat less in this world, hu...?" Simson talked back, deliberately using piercing words. Modo felt himself cringe a bit, okay maybe he had deserved that. The grey furred giant let out a deep sigh and his good eye fell on his beloved bike, still silent as ever, lying there on top of the rock.

"Ah don't want ya to die, man..." He talked back, keeping his voice as a low rumble.

"Whatever..." Simson muttered while pulling his tshirt into strips and then wrapping them quickly and tightly around his bleeding stump of a limb that his tail was, now being only a little over a metre long. It felt weird, it still got no feel to it. Like it was someone else's limb.

Modo tried to listen what was happening on the other side of the rock, letting his flesh fingers run the cold, hard and bumpy surface of the rock.

"Ah'm sorry." He then opened up his mouth again but Simson didn't answer.

"Ah'm sorry if Ah have come across slightly... hostile towards you..." He then said again, turning his gaze back on his fingers, tracing the rock but without raising his voice more. He was sure Simson could hear him perfectly though even if he didn't respond.

"Ah mean, Ah might have misjudged you...And my mommah raised me better than to act like that towards...well, towards anyone really..."

As a matter of fact Simson did hear him speak, as he was tying his tail, while starting to feel slightly dizzy after the amount of adrenaline he had gathered inside him to be able to shoot his tail off had now started to drain out of him.

"Don't worry, Big Guy... I knew it from the start that you were not a bad person. And after you shared with me what had happened to you while you were little... I don't really blame you for not trusting us..."

"Doesn't justify the way Ah acted, though...You've got nothin' to do with what happened." Modo muttered as another big rock splashed into the water behind him.

Simson raised his brow while listening, pursing his lips slightly together, looking at his hands working in the darkness. The water level was slowly reaching his naval.

"You're not doin' that dead man's speech on me, are ya, Big Guy?"

"The what?" Modo asked confused.

"You know, that speech when a man knows he's about to die..."

Modo gave a slight chuckle, scratching his brow.

"Die? Now, what gave ya the impression that we're about to die?" Modo joked and earned a laughter from Simson as well. The graveness of the situation they were in at the moment started to make them a bit hysterical.

"Yeah, we'll pull through, right...?" Simson nodded as he then got his tail wrapped up tightly.

"Better than ya tail, Ah'm hopin'..." Modo just couldn't help himself and they both ended up laughing out loud, leaning against the rock on both sides of it, holding themselves up.

"Okey, okey... Let's just...Try to get a grip here of this very serious situation we're at the moment..." Simson then wiped a few tears of laughter from his eyes and shook his head, trying to think clear. They both heard another deep rumble of the flood, trying to force its' way through. Things would soon take a turn to the critical.

"So...This plan of your's..." Simson then started as he took his laser gun in hand again.

"Well, it's more of a theory than a plan...Ah haven't ever been exactly a planner-type..." Modo confessed looking down at the water level rising to soon cover his pants completely.

"Should we maybe test that theory?" Simson asked, flinging the gun around his finger.

"Got ya tail wrapped? You're not feelin' dizzy or anythin'?"

"Slightly, thanks for your concerns...But I'll manage..."

"Okay, just try to get as far as ya can... We'll shoot the same time." Modo said and Simson then tried to wade in the water as quickly as he could but the water made some resistance.

"Okay, comrade! On three?" Simson asked as Modo had also gone as far away from the stone as he could, his back nearly against the levee of rocks.

"On three!" He concluded and then counted silently, his lips moving. "_One...Two...Three._"

And they both fired their lasers at the big boulder which since it was halfway in the water took a few seconds but after a short amount of time, the top part of it started to burn brightly with red light and soon after that there was an explosion.

x

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"What on Deimos' name was that?!" Maico shouted as they heard a powerful rumble coming from somewhere and the five of them had stopped their bikes. Throttle quickly looked at the small monitors in his bike.

"And more to the point: where did that come from...?"

Stoker opened up his visor and looked into the distance, seeing something glimmering there.

"And just to keep these questions rollin': who's coming there?"

They all turned their heads towards the glimmering in the distance and Maico then made her visor to zoom in on whatever the thing was rapidly moving towards them.

"The rats are headin' this way! No sign on Modo though...Or Simson..."

Vinnie opened up his visor too and looked into the other direction.

"So...Who are the ones joinin' the party that way?"

Again, all five of them turned their heads into the direction Vinnie was looking and there infact was something glimmering in the distance as well, but still too far away to even see clearly even if zooming in. Throttle scratched his chin.

"Hm, well, maybe we have to divide into two groups here, to welcome our guests...Me, Stoker and Hudson are gonna meet the rats while..."

The tan furred male then gave Vinnie and Maico a look.

"You two can go on to check closer what is happening that way..."

"Hey, I don't need a sidekick!" Vinnie protested.

"Too, bad...Be grateful I ain't givin' you a kick in the groins!" Maico chuffed and closed her visor and sped off towards the unknown glimmering.

"Hey! No need to be rude!" Vinnie protested as he sped after her also.

"Don't get too close! Inform us the second you know what's up there!" Throttle ordered via their radios.

"_Yeah, like I would do anythin' rash!" _Vinnie's voice was heard through the radio. Throttle only chuckled and then the three of them gunned their bikes towards the group of rats heading to their direction. They didn't have to drive far when they were already close enough for Throttle to slid his bike into a halt near the rats' bikes and shout:

"Where's Modo and Simson?!"

"We were ambushed! We decided to take the tunnels back but they were bombed!" One of the rats started but Throttle had heard enough and he revved his bike again.

"Quickly! Show us the place!"

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_Okay, so, not so long chapter but hope you guys liked it!_

_And feel free to leave a review!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	5. Chapter 5: No Connection

_Hey all!_

_Thanks so much for all the reviews and comments and messages and favs! I feel very humbled!_

_And special shout-out to the ever-so-loyal reader and commenter Vlaatjee who is also amazing fan fic writer herself so please, if there's someone who hasn't still read her stories, go check her fanfics also! They rock!_

_And sorry for the long wait! I wrote this chapter like three times before I was satisfied! (And I know there are still some misspellings, sorry about those too! Again English is not my first language but I try to do my very best here! And I usually spot some errors even after I've spellchecked the chapter like forty times and after uploading it here so...I just need to get back to it ten times to correct it after the upload as well...)_

_So, this chapter is more grim and gloomy...Sorry about that..._

_Feel free to leave a comment as always!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 5**

**No Connection  
**

Aprilia was treating one Fighter that still was at the infirmary. She was washing his leg under the cast, carefully wiping with a wet cloth as suddenly she felt a painful jolt in her head and she gave a scream of agony as she knelt down beside the bed.

"Doc, you okay...?" the Fighter asked worried, leaning over the bed, carefully touching her shoulder but Aprilia was holding her head while shivering a bit.

"What was that?! Aprilia?!" Beretta ran to her friend and kelt down beside her.

"What's wrong? What happened?!" Beretta turned her deep blue eyes towards the mouse reclining in the hospital bed who only waved his hands infront of him.

"Don't look at me! I didn't do anything! She just suddenly fell on the floor!"

Beretta gave the male a mean look, like she would be thinking he still had something to do with how her friend was acting at the moment. The burgurdy haired nurse then turned back to her blonde friend.

"Aprilia, honey...What's wrong?!"

The small light brown female was still holding her head but it seemed that whatever it had been, it was starting to ease up.

"I don't...I don't know... I just suddenly felt like, like I got hit in my head, there was this piercing stab..." She talked but then stopped and turned her scared brown eyes to the golden furred female looking worried beside her.

"It's Modo!"

"What?"

"It has to be...! And I can't... I'm not feeling anything anymore! The pain's gone!"

"...but, honey, that's a good thing right...?"

"No! You don't understand! The pain...! I felt his pain!"

"Aprilia...Maybe you're just dehydrated or haven't slept too well..."

"I know what I felt! It was him! And now...I can't feel him anymore!"

Beretta wasn't sure what to make of this all as she was trying to come up with answers, something to soothe her friend with who suddenly looked like she was beginning to hyperventilate infront of her, her big brown eyes widening.

"It was him! I'm sure it was him!"

"Just, calm down...! They're on their way to pick them up, I'm sure he's fine...! You're just imagining things!" Beretta tried to calm the blonde female down but she wasn't really sure if she believed in her words even herself since she knew that what Apilia was talking about could actually be true since the Cave Mice did have the ability to communicate through the mindwaves. It just wasn't that common for the mice to use or even being able to use that skill through longer distances. It usually was used while hanging in the relatively same area, and in the most commonly while being close to your family member, loved ones or your significant other. The ability to use the mindwaves while being far away from each other had become even more uncommon as the VidComs and other communication systems and devices had been invented, it was just easier to dial up someone's number than to concentrate on the telepathy.

Beretta's thoughts were interrupted as Aprilia suddenly sprang up and ran out of the infirmary.

"I gotta find Rimfire!" She only shouted while leaving Beretta and the patient looking after her, their minds puzzled.

x

x

"Throttle to HQ!"

Rimfire nearly knocked over his berry soda can as he quickly placed it on the table and ran to the monitor.

"Rimfire here! Come in!"

"Rimfire, gather the troops! We've got a M4 situation here and we need all the help we can get to search the whole area!" Throttle talked via the monitor. There was something in his manner that put Rimfire on the edge a little.

"Wait! M4?! Did you find Uncle Modo?!"

"Just get the troops, Rimfire!" Throttle suddenly raised his voice and it came out as nearly a desperate gasp and Rimfire took a step back.

"What's happening in there?!" Rimfire asked again, a worry starting to escalate in him but Throttle shook his head.

"We need you here, NOW! That's an order, Rimfire! Get the troops! I'll send you the coordinates! We don't have time for this!" Throttle said and the monitor went black. Rimfire quickly ran to press the alarm system off and the red light started to blink around the Headquarters again before he ran towards the garage, grabbing his helmet as he hopped on his bike. More Fighters poured into the garage and Rimfire ordered the doors to be opened for them.

"Okay, Fighters! We've got M4! Let's move!" He shouted to everyone as they all got on their bikes and then as Rimfire started his bike he saw Aprilia standing in the doorway to the garage, her arms crossed over her chest, like cradling herself, staring at Rimfire, her look scared. Rimfire heard the doors to slide open and he knew he didn't have time to explain anything to her and turned away as the small bunch of Fighters gunned into the desert, leaving the small blonde female looking after them before she felt like her legs didn't carry her anymore and she fell on the floor, feeling her heart sinking.

x

x

As Throttle hung up the call he turned back to the bigger hole they were all now gathered around of, he, Stoker, Hudson and the rats. The hole let them see through into one of the tunnels and that tunnel was at the moment filled with water. The water was streaming so fast it was like an underground river and it flooded the whole tunnel up to the ceiling, splashing over the brim of the hole as they were all looking at the scene. One rat, a light brown one was knelt down beside the hole and he was looking into the water, trying to spot anything...or anyone in it. He slowly shook his head and then gave the others a look.

"I can't see anything in there...There's nothin' on the bottom, not that I can see..."

"The stream's too strong! Even if they had...The water goes so fast, they must be further away..." Another rat stated beside him. They were both trying to circle around the word "body" but it was obvious for the others standing there around the hole that they had been checking if their comrades had drowned. Stoker gave Throttle a look but this was just looking into the water. His demeanour was hard to read. He was like frozen. Stoker turned his look back on the light brown rat.

"And you're sure this is the place where Modo and Simson were trapped?"

"It has to be... Accordin' to our coordinates... And this hole just proves that...Somethin' was bombing us from the top and the ceiling just collapsed. I don't know where the water came though...It wasn't floodin' when we were riding in there..."

"Maybe they tried to free themselves, maybe they did escape...?" Another rat thought out loud while giving the others a look.

Stoker stared into the water, the rapid stream that swallowed pieces of sand and ground around the hole bit by bit.

"Where do these tunnels lead to?" Stoker asked.

"The tunnels don't really "lead" to anywhere, they're more like leading to everywhere! The water could have taken them anywhere under the ground..." The light brown rat explained but then pointed at his bike.

"In our bikes we have the coordinates to the tunnel systems... We could try to locate what tunnels are currently flooded and which way the flood goes? Maybe we'll find them that way...?"

Throttle nodded and then sat down on his bike, putting his helmet on.

"You do that, meanwhile we'll search around the desert, see if they've gotten out some place else..."

"I hear what you're sayin' but there ain't really exits around this area..." The light brown furred rat said but Throttle only started his bike and revved it.

"We'll search the whole desert, inch by inch, if we have to!"

Stoker gave Throttle a look and then nodded, agreeing with the tan furred male.

"You take Hudson with you and tell Rimfire to come with the others to help you guys also. I'll go with the rats to check the tunnels." Stoker said and Hudson ran his palm over his dark grey face, giving a deep sigh. They all had seen that rapid stream. No one could survive that. It was an underground deathtrap. But noone wanted to state what they all had felt in their hearts. And he was sure they all had felt that pinch. Hudson sat down on his bike and gave Throttle a silent nod before they both stepped on the gas. As soon as they had lost the sight on the others the radio went on and a familiar high-pitch voice was echoing inside the helmet.

"_Hey-hey-heyyyy, my loyal listeners...! Radio Van Wham wants you all to call to this number and tell how's it hangin'!" _

Throttle's throat tightened but he cleared it quickly, trying to steady his beating heart just enough to bring his younger bro up to date.

"Vincent... We didn't find them."

Vinnie was silent for awhile on the other side of the radio. Clearly the use of his whole name, along with that heavy tone in his bro's voice, revealed immidiately that something was very wrong.

"_Didn't find them? What you mean you didn't find them?"_

Throttle sighed as they were riding along the desert with Hudson, the same time trying to spot anything abnormal out there or things that could possibly hide exits like bigger rocks.

"...I told you already before we left that I had a bad feeling about this all...They were attacked and they tried to escape through the tunnels...But the tunnels were bombed and Modo and Simson got trapped... And now the tunnels are flooding and that stream is just too strong... We don't know what happened to them." Throttle talked. He felt his mind starting to race and crash into different scenarios that were all not that pretty.

"We're now gonna search the whole area, to find if there's possibly any other entrences they could've used to get into safety... Trying to find any leads...Stoker's with the rats, checking the tunnels and trying to follow the stream..." Throttle tried to speak in a coherent voice but Vinnie, being his bro, knew that this time it was a very serious situation.

"_Bro, say no more, I'll be there in no time!"_

"No! What's the situation there?" Throttle cut him off.

"_Oh, just Sand raiders... And lots of them...Hardly any resistance... But this is not important right now, we'll come to help you guys to find them!"_

"No, you stay there and try to keep the raiders busy, so we can search the area in peace, got it?"

"_C'mon, bro!_ _I'm the fastest rider of us all! I'll search the whole planet quicker than all of you combined!"_

"Vinnie, you stay there and just do whatever it takes to keep the sand raiders far away from here, got it?! I've already informed HQ and Rimfire's coming along with the others to help us out!"

In any other circumstances Vinnie would have loved that offer to raise mayhem, without supervision, and he would've grabbed that offer with both hands and ran with it, laughing out loud without looking back and just let all his crazyness pour out of him but right now, he would've given away that opportunity gladly just to be there to search his missing bro with the others. But he had heard Throttle's voice and he did not want to disobey that voice.

"_Got it. Don't worry, the raiders will not be a problem!"_ Vinnie then quickly replied and the radio fell silent again. No, the raiders won't be a problem...It was them that now had a problem, with him, Vinnie Van Wham. His carefree attitude was placed by worry and that rarely happened. Nothing could worry him...except when Throttle used than certain tone in his voice. That had given him the chills. He knew the situation was bad, he knew that for Throttle to use that tone, things were really bad. And he could sense even through the radio that Throttle feared the worst.

But, he had to stay positive. His bro was okay, Modo was okay. They were heroes, after all! Heroes didn't die! Seriously injuring themselves? Sure. Broken bones and concussions? Why not. But to die? Vinnie didn't want to entertain this thought in his head, he didn't want to think about the possible outcomes at all, so he did what he did best. Destroy things. If the sand raiders weren't scared before, they should be now. Because now, Vinnie had only one mission and that was to destroy everyone and everything in his sight to help in his own way for the ones searching his missing bro.

x

x

It didn't take too long for Rimfire and the rest of the Fighters to join the searching team and only after an hour Vinnie came with Maico to help them with the search. The two of them had left a large area burning after them, a havoc Vinnie would've been very pleased and proud with if it were any other day but right now, he had forgotten all about it already and his only aim was to find his bro.

Throttle had asked Stoker if they had had any luck but the older commander had only stated that they had found several tunnels that had been flooding and they had checked all the exits they'd come across but they had not seen any sign on Modo or Simson yet.

Hour turned into hours and soon the sun was only a blue little dot in the horizon before it slowly but firmly went down. As the darkness fell over the desert the Fighters and the rats switched on their nightvisions on their helmets and continued the search. They tried to look under every bigger rock, went around every boulder and when they came across bigger heaps of sand they dug that sand if the bike told them there would be a hollow spot under them but as the time went by, they started to dig every heap of sand if it would be big enough to hide a person under it.

But nothing was found. Just sand and rocks everywhere. No footprints, no tire marks, no signs on the two missing persons at all.

_"Throttle._" Stoker's voice suddenly echoed in the tan furred male's helmet as he was driving around the desert.

"Did you find somethin'?" Throttle asked and felt this tightening feeling in his chest appearing again. It happened everytime someone used the radio. And Throttle wasn't sure what he would've liked to hear. He waited for someone to shout through the radio that they've found the missing persons but...In what state they would find them was what he was fearing of. Did they find Modo and Simson alive, in relatively one piece or... Was someone going to announce through the radio that they've found two bodies...

"_No. We searched another tunnel but still no sign on them..._" Stoker sighed.

"Well, we must just keep searchin' on..." Throttle gritted his teeth but a sigh was to be heard through the radio.

_"Throttle. We've been looking around this damn desert over nine hours already."_

Throttle could sense what the old commander was about to say.

"No! We're not stopping until we find Modo!" Throttle's voice was strict and hard.

_"I don't wanna stop the search either...But it is soon night-time, it's pitch dark... We can't see clearly even with our nightvisions... And we're all runnin' out of fuel here, men and bikes..."_

"Fine, you can go, I'll stay."

_"Did you hear me when I said that our bike's need to be refueled? Throttle, we have no choice but to go back and come here again when the sun rises!"_

"The sun won't be risin' in for another five hours! And those five hours could be crucial for our bro!"

_"Yes, and it's also crucial that we'll be on our best while we try to search for him and Simson. When we're tired we make mistakes. And those mistakes can be fatal as well."_ Stoker's voice was stern but still caring. Throttle swallowed but he then slowed his bike down, before placing his both boots on the sand.

"Well, since you're still in charge..." He then raised his voice but it appeared rather piercing.

_"I believe I am in charge still. And I'm recommending for everyone to go back to HQ, eat, rest and refuel our bikes. We'll come back here as early as the sun's first rays."_

"I'm hopin' that plan's gonna work..." Throttle answered, nearly in cold tone.

_"It's a better plan than to stay here and do half-ass work, soldier."_

"Fine. Let's get back to the base." Throttle looked around him and then turned his bike and gassed off towards their HQ while seeing others doing the same in the distance, the headlamps bouncing on the dark desert.

x

x

It took them nearly an hour to get back to their Base and they rolled their bikes inside, looking beaten and tired, parking their bikes and taking off their helmets. Rimfire threw his helmet away and it rolled on the cold stone floor and left the garage in fast speed. Stoker glanced after him and then gave Throttle a look under his brow. He, too, didn't look satisfied. Stoker gave a deep sigh and ran his palm over his tired face.

"This is the best plan right now..." Stoker then raised his voice.

"I hope that it is. From the bottom of my heart." Throttle answered and then placed his helmet on the seat of his bike and left the garage, too, Vinnie behind him.

"C'mon, bro! It only takes like twenty minutes and we can be back on the road again!"

"This is Stoker's call..." Throttle answered dryly.

"Well, we can always hang up that call, right? We have to go find the Big Fella'!"

"Vinnie, we're Fighters and Stoker's still our commander, he's calling the shots, at the moment anyway..."

"What you mean at the moment...?" Vinnie raised his eyebrow but Throttle only waved him off and went to the kitchen to go grab some protein bars.

x

x

Rimfire was breathing hard but tried to steady his beating heart. He stopped his rapid walk as he was now standing infront of the door that lead to Aprilia's room. She hadn't been at the infirmary so Rimfire had made his way here. He actually didn't know what he was to say. Deimos! What was he going to say to her? He really, really didn't want to be here right now. But Aprilia needed to know what was going on. She deserved to know. So, he carefully knocked on the door and still tried to steady his breathing but to be fair, in this circumstance, it was impossible. No one answered the door so Rimfire was to knock a second time but then the door suddenly flew open and he now stared into those big dark brown eyes that now were red and wet from crying. Her blonde hair was not as a bun on top of her head anymore, it was loose, hanging over her shoulders.

"Aprilia..." Rimfire started but as soon as his shaky voice was done only saying her name, the short light brown furred female fell to the ground and started to cry. Rimfire quickly knelt down beside her and took her in his arms, in a tight but loving grip, stroking her blonde hair.

"We'll go back in just a few hours, to search them...We will find him." He tried to soothe her.

"I don't feel him!" Aprilia suddenly managed to say through her sobbing.

"What?" Rimfire asked, still stroking her hair.

"I don't feel him!" Aprilia's cry was like cold metal, cutting the silence around them.

"I felt him before but now I don't feel him anymore!"

Rimfire listened to her hysterical crying and then it dawned on him what she had meant.

"You know, Aprilia, that there can be numerous reasons why you can't connect with him..." The tall youngster started but Aprilia then slowly tried to get herself free from his grip.

"No...No... I can't feel him at all!"

"Aprilia, you know the connection might not be workin' if you're tryin' too hard...Right? All that extra-pressure can ruin it all..."

But Aprilia only lowered her head and it looked like she had already given up all her hope.

x

x

x

x

x

_There it was! Hopefully it wasn't too grim!_

_And I try to be quicker with the next chapter but we'll see..._

_So, thanks again my loyal readers!_

_Until next time!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	6. Chapter 6: Mindwalking

_Hey everybody!_

_I managed to do the sixth chapter, although it's not that long but it might be a bit intensive towards the end..._

_so, not much to say here but to give you all a huge thank you again! Really, it means a lot to me that you're reading my story!_

_Thanks for all the comments! I always love to hear your feedback on the chapter!_

_Thanks!_

_And on with the story...!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 6**

**Mindwalking**

Harley wiped her greasy hands to a towel and left the garage. She yawned tiredly but felt somewhat satisfied. The news about Modo and Simson had reached her too and she had decided to bury herself with work, to not wallow in worry about her missing friend and comrade. She now walked towards the kitchen and saw Stoker there, hunching over a cup of tea, rubbing his temples tiredly. It was way past midnight already. Harley halted for a second but then continued towards the table and sat down infront of him. Stoker lifted his gaze and tried to give her a smile, even if a weak one but it turned out to be a gloomy look anyway. He just didn't have any energy left but Harley knew that this all was taking a heavy toll on the older leader. There was no point in having a meaningless chit-chat so she just gave a deep sigh.

"How are you?"

"Good." Stoker replied but then scratched his brow.

"Well, that's not true. I can't lie to you, H... I actually feel like shit."

Harley only nodded but then took his hand to hers and stroked it gently, looking thoughtfully his brown short fur on the back of his hand and on his lean but strong fingers which were hardenered by life.

"I hope this goes without sayin', Stoker...But none of this is your fault."

Stoker raised his look and their eyes briefly met before Stoker turned his look away.

"Yeah... Goes without saying..." Stoker nodded but his tone did not resonate belief.

"This is not your fault." Harley said again, but with more weight.

"I made him go alone..." Stoker started.

"No, he was not alone. Simson was there and his crew."

"Yeah, but... It's not the same. We're always looking after each other." Stoker said and met her clear eyes again.

"We can't always prevent things from happening, Stoker..."

"I made a wrong decision and that could cause my brother's life."

"No, this is not on you. The ones who bombed the tunnels are the ones to blame here. Who were they anyway?"

Stoker only shrugged his shoulders.

"Mace's troops? The government's secret division? Sand raiders? Is there someone who's not against us?"

"Sand raiders? What do they want?"

"Nah...I don't know... Just listing all our enemies, which feels like it's the whole planet... Who knows what the raiders are up to. They certainly have increased their numbers and gotten themselves new toys if we're believing Vinnie, and maybe we can once and awhile..."

Harley only nodded as Stoker then fell into gloominess again. He took his hand from hers and ran his palms over his face, shaking his head.

"I've watched these kids to grow into Fighters and adults...When they joined the Fighters they were merely these immature adolescents...I wanted to make clear for them that i was not gonna be their father-figure, I didn't wanna have that role. I was their leader, I told them orders, I told them what to do simply from the strategic point of view. Didn't wanna think about too much of their personal stuff or get too close with the young Fighters and their possible problems. It was to protect our planet, to keep my mind clear. Maybe it was to protect myself, too since it was the wartime, a lot of men died there, I thought that there was no point to make oneself too attached to people... But in the end, we grew up to be a family, us Fighters...And then there was this trio..." Stoker then stopped, looking at his hands while contemplating.

"Throttle, Vinnie and Modo... They just had something in them, something very special and... even if I tried to prevent it, I noticed that they somehow just grew on me, we came very close. And have been ever since. And I don't mean to say that they're like sons to me..." Stoker bit his lower lip but then sighed.

"...but I guess that is in the end what I feel sometimes."

"They look up for you, Stoker." Harley tried to convince the old leader as Stoker closed his eyes and sighed but after he opened his eyes again he noticed someone standing in the doorway and they both turned their attention on Rimfire who went to grab a berry soda from the fridge.

"Don't mind me...I'm just takin' a soda to Aprilia... She's pretty shaken up by all this... She said she had felt Uncle Modo, you know telepathically..."

Stoker suddenly stood up.

"That's it!"

"Uhm...What is?" Rimfire looked confused.

"Get Aprilia and bring her to the main hall!" Stoker only ordered him before the old commander rushed out of the room.

x

x

Charley was watching the scene a little bit further away, sitting by the long table in the main hall. She was looking at the Fighters hovering around Aprilia who was sitting by the table also, but on the other end of it from Charley. Aprilia's brown eyes were looking confused and a bit timid, while looking at the Fighters who were all talking frantically, making the room echo with noises. The rats were also gathered into the room but they were sitting a little further away from the mice and acting more patiently and silently, talking queitly with each other, glancing towards Aprilia. Even if the main hall was a big area, it now somehow seemed packed with nearly everyone currently living in the Headquarters gathered in there.

Charley almost jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder and while glancing to her side, she saw Throttle's face.

"You okay?" The tan furred male rasped.

"Yeah...I'm okay. Just worried. Like everyone else... What is happening?" Charley asked him and Throttle scratched his neck.

"We're gonna try and find Modo by using telepathy..."

"You can do that?"

"We'll see... It is possible but it's not always guaranteed to work... It all depends on her..." Throttle glanced at Aprilia who tried to steady her shaking hands.

"Why it must be her to make that connection? I mean you mice all have the antennae..." Charley asked.

"Well, she's our best bet since she has the strongest connection with him from anyone in here..."

"The strongest connection? But you've known Modo the longest, right? And then there's Rimfire, they're blood-related...Why she has the strongest chance to make the connection?" Charley asked and felt somehow stupid. Everyone else clearly knew what was going on here except her. She really didn't have any clue what was about to happen and she felt somehow left out. Also she didn't even have the first-hand experience about these kind of things since she wasn't a telepathic race herself. Charley heard a light snickering sound from her other side and turned her head to Vinnie who was sitting by the table too, his arms crossed, looking relaxed despite the situation.

"It's because she's sharing her bed with our Big Fella', sweetheart!"

Throttle only raised his eyebrow, not amused.

"What Vinnie is trying to say here... Is that their connection is the strongest since during the intimate moments the couples connect mentally and that connection is one of the most powerful connections there is between us mice so...That's why if anyone can connect telepathically with Modo it's going to be Aprilia..." Throttle explained while looking at Stoker who was at the moment situated the closest to Aprilia, knelt down, talking quietly some instructions to her and the light furred female was nodding her head, listening but still looking overwhelmed by all this.

Charley glanced at Vinnie who was rocking in his chair. They too had that connection now? Could she connect with him telepathically even if she didn't have the antennae? Aprilia had said to her that she could but somehow she didn't believe it. Sure she had witnessed some of the powers the mind connections had during her and Vinnie's intimate moment and also when Throttle had shared his memories with her while still being back on Earth but it had only been from the mice' side... She didn't know how to make that connection with her mind. Maybe she had shared something with Vinnie while they had slept together and while their minds had connected breifly but she had to admit she still wasn't sure since all this was new to her. But what she was sure of was that she would never be able to use her mind like a Cave Mouse did. And that somehow gave her an inadequate feeling.

"But if you can do this then why don't you always just use your mind to find the missing persons..?" She asked, trying to push all the bad thoughts aside, this was not the moment to wallow in them. They were all here to save their loved one.

"Well, it's not that easy... It's not like we can just switch on our long-distance telepathic abilites and we'll have a straight connection. It actually takes a lot of strength and concentration. Many times we even can't make the connection, due to many different reasons...But it's possible." Throttle answered his look still on Stoker and Aprilia.

"You're ready?" Stoker asked Aprilia who turned her brown eyes to the old commander.

"But...What if I can't find him?"

"You can...If you're just concentrating hard enough. Remember it only works if you're calm and focused. You can't be afraid."

"But I am afraid! I'm afraid that he's not alive!" Aprilia raised her voice that immidiately started to break.

"You can't give up! That's not fair for Modo if you just give up!" Stoker's voice was stern but he tried to keep it down anyway, this talk was between him and Aprilia, not everyone needed to hear them.

"But how can I help it? I'm scared!"

"You're safe here, we're your family. Nothing's gonna happen to you. I'll even guide you if you want?"

Aprilia nodded back.

"That would be nice... Thank you. I don't know if I can do this on my own at the moment, not in this state..." She said and her voice trembled again, feeling like her emotions were getting the best of her again.

"Okay, we'll start nice and slow, okay? Try first to find him without my help, sometimes it works better..."

"Okay."

"Just try to relax yourself..." Stoker's voice was warm and calm and he stroked Aprilia's hand, his tail around her ankle, to make her feel more secure. Aprilia only nodded hastily and closed her eyes, swallowing. Stoker turned around to give the Fighters and the rats a look.

"It's too crowded in here! Give the lady some space...!"

Many of the Fighters as well as the rats mumbled something back as they reluctantly left the main hall. Charley gave Throttle a look.

"Should I maybe...?"

"Nah, it's okay. You can stay." Throttle answered. He had felt Charley's confusion while she had been staying here on Mars. Maybe getting to know the Martian culture and habits could ease her feelings and let some of her doubts and tension go away. He wanted her to feel like she belonged here and wanted to make sure she didn't feel like she was being left out. And this was about Modo, who was like a big brother to her.

Charley only nodded and then turned her look back on Aprilia who still had her eyes closed and she could see a few tears running down her cheeks and Stoker wiped them away, whispering something soothing back at her and Aprilia nodded silently and then her antennae started to glow.

Now it was only Throttle, Charley, Vinnie, Stoker, Aprilia and Rimfire who were in the main hall. Rimfire was sitting by the table, too, his slightly worried eyes carefully inspecting Aprilia. He knew that the long-distance telepathic connection could take a lot of energy and he was to make sure Stoker didn't push her too far, since sometimes their leader could be carried away with things. He had in the end promised to his uncle to keep Aprilia safe and well. He wanted to make sure Aprilia would be unharmed by all this even if he wanted this to work also. He knew she was strong but at the moment she was not at her best, she was scared and her whole body seemed to tremour.

A silence fell over the main hall and they all had their eyes locked on the small light brown female who still had her blonde hair loose and it looked messy, she hand't been able to sleep at all but to be fair, noone had been able to sleep. After awhile her antennae suddenly stopped glowing.

"I'm not...I'm not feeling anything..." Aprilia tried to swallow her tears.

"It's okay...Let's try again." Stoker talked calmly.

Aprilia still had her eyes closed and just quickly nodded back but already felt her breathing starting to escalate again. Stoker stroked her hand, trying to calm her down.

"I'll guide you, okay...? Just stay calm, feel the calmness wash over you... Concentrate on your breathing, feel the air in your lungs..."

Charley glanced over at Throttle but this was too distracted to notice her look, his eyes were on the small female and their leader. Charley gave a look on her side to Vinnie who was still rocking in his chair but he too seemed to be concentrating on what was happening before them. Charley turned to look at the scene again, her mind racing. Was this real? Was this really happening? This was so bizarre... Some science fiction writers would have enourmous kicks from this right now, she mused.

"You remember the last time you saw him?" Stoker then asked carefully.

"Yes." Aprilia nodded after a little hesitation.

"You were alone?"

"Yes."

"Try to remember what was happening that time. Now, you don't have to tell me but picture it in your mind."

Aprilia nodded and had still her eyes closed.

"Now, concentrate on him, what he said, what he did..."

Aprilia felt her mind to ease up as she saw Modo in her memories. They had been alone. He had slept in her room again the night before. She had been awaken by the light sound as he was putting on his clothes. He had turned around and pressed a kiss on her forehead before saying that he was to go get some breakfast but that she should get some sleep still... She had felt tired and she gladly took the opportunity to sleep a little longer. He had given her a wide smile before stepping out of the room. And that was it. Later she had learned out that after he had left her room he had bumped into Stoker who had then ordered him to leave with the rats to get some of their stuff from the rats' hideout...

"Concentrate on him." Aprilia could hear Stoker's words, but his voice was distant and muffled. Aprilia was thinking about the kiss Modo had pressed on her forehead. His much bigger body briefly hovering just on top of her, his coarse fur against her softer one, his smell filling her nostrils, his cozy musky smell which always gave her the desire to cuddle into his arms. She remembered his last look he had given her, his playful glance which had made her to giggle back.

"Concentrate on him." Echoed again somewhere but now it was like heard through a dream. She had watched him go and turn around, to give her the last look, his eye locking with her but suddenly everything went black and Aprilia felt her heartrate to increase, she breathed in but there was no air. She started to gasp and couldn't open her eyes, she felt herself to suffocate, her lungs hurt but she felt warm, like being cradled in silk. She desperately tried to get some air, to breathe but couldn't, the sting was too painful in her lungs. Why was everything so black? Why couldn't she see anything? She gasped air and tried to shout his name but felt her words to die in her throat and she gathered more strength and this time she screamed his name out loud, so hard as she could.

"MODO!"

x

x

The grey furred giant suddenly opened his eye and jerked upright only to feel that all the air had been punched out of him and fell back on the ground again. As he tried to open his eye again, his vision was blurry, he only saw bright dots of light before he had to close his eye again, feeling tired, feeling like all his strength had drained out of him. He suddenly realized he had trouble breathing and that his lungs hurt. As he tried to breathe he only felt pain in his chest. He turned onto his stomach and vomited and coughed water before he felt like the darkness took a hold of him. He placed his head on the cold hard ground again. He now vaguely remembered that he had heard her voice, shouting his name...Aprilia...

x

x

Aprilia threw her eyes open as she was gasping for air and luckily feeling like her lungs were filling with air again and she breathed hard, pressing her chest with her hands. As she had calmed down a bit and felt like she could breath somewhat easily now and realized she was infact again in the main hall, sitting by the table she raised her look and met everyone's looks. She looked at them all, staring back at her, their eyes opened wide and their jaws slightly dropped.

"What?" Aprilia whispered, still steadying her breathing. Stoker, Throttle, Vinnie, Rimfire and Charley glanced at each others.

"Holy shit..." Charley only stated and everyone nodded in agreement.

Aprilia only stared at them back, completely clueless what had happened.


	7. Chapter 7: Second Connection

_Hey everybody!_

_Thanks for all the kind words and reviews! Really, it mean the world to me to know what you guys are thinking about the story so-far._

_And again as a reminder, this is a sequel so all the new readers might want to start with "The New Dawn of the Red Planet" so it'll be easier to follow this story after you've read that one._

_Anyway, this took longer than expected, to write another chapter since (and I don't know how common problem this is amongst all of you fellow writers) everytime I tried to write my mind was just racing in the future plot ideas, like yes same story but waaaay ahead of myself and the current place the story is...So I just needed to calm down, write down the ideas and wait until my mind was clear to write what was actually happening next in the story... So, very weird problem but yes, I managed to come around..._

_Also this chapter took quite some time to write because it was one long continuos chapter, everything happening in the same room... Not to spoil anything...And the things happening in it and trying to explain them, well, it took some time but in the end I'm quite happy how it turned out. I must've wrote it again and again like six times before finally able to be pleased with it..._

_Okay, but enough enough..._

_Here's the chapter 7 for you all._

_Have a good day and please leave a review after reading, even a small one is a nice little gift!_

_Until next time!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 7**

**Second Connection**

Aprilia was blinking her eyes as she was staring at the five persons in the main hall, who were all staring back at her, the looks they had were mixed with worry and some type of terror.

"What?!" She asked again and her heart began to beat harder as she had no clue why everyone seemed so shocked.

"Ma'am, ya okay...?" Rimfire then carefully asked while coming to her side and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Am I alright? Modo is the one we should all be worrying about! I found him!"

"Yeah, we...figured out that much..." Stoker scratched his neck a bit nervously and Aprilia turned her eyes on him.

"He's hurt!"

Stoker only nodded silently but then knelt down beside her again.

"You're sure you are okay?"

"Why are you all asking me that?! I'm perfectly fine! We have to go and find him! He's hurt! Do you not understand me?!" Aprilia raised her voice and gave them all a look.

Stoker gave Throttle a glance and this only nodded back, looking stern. Charley saw their looks and she quickly turned her eyes on Vinnie who only shrugged his shoulders back, rocking in his chair, so no help coming from that direction again. And again, she felt like she didn't really understand what was going on. But now, she wasn't the only one. Aprilia's eyes became fiery as she glared everyone in the room.

"We have to go! Now! He's hurt!" She only repeated and started to become agitated since noone seemed to take her worry seriously.

"And we will..." Stoker tried to calm her down and Aprilia shot a glance at his direction.

"It's your fault he's there! Try at least to make this right!" She snapped almost desperately and Stoker held his head down, taking in her anger. He somehow felt he had deserved every last drop of her hate right now. But there actually was now a chance for them to know where exactly Modo was at the moment, but he only needed her to understand the situation as well.

"Aprilia..." Stoker started.

"How long do you think you were connecting with him?"

"I don't know... A few minutes?" Aprilia spilled hastily not really understanding why it was important.

"Your connection lasted almost half an hour." Stoker only replied, keeping his voice steady and calm. The blonde female quickly turned her round face to him but didn't know what to say. Stoker took a hold of her hand again.

"For a half an hour you weren't here, you were some place else... Your eyes were open the whole time and you were looking around you. You were hearing things we weren't hearing. Do you remember?"

Aprilia nodded slightly. Yes, she remembered what she had felt. It had been feeling like dying. But she didn't know what this all meant and what Stoker was talking about. Stoker felt her hand to tremble underneath his own palm and he stroked it gently.

"You were not just making a telepathic connection with Modo, I believe you were actually mindwalking." Stoker then concluded.

"Mindwalking? But I can't mindwalk!" Aprilia blurted out and Stoker gave a light chuckle.

"Trust me, honey, you know perfectly well how to mindwalk. We all witnessed that." He then carefully gave the other persons in the room a look who all nodded affirmative, even Charley except she didn't really know what had happened besides the fact that it had been some intense and scary shit. She still had goosebumps all over her.

The auburn haired mechanic turned her eyes on Throttle who saw her look and cleared his throat.

"Mindwalking?" Charley asked quietly.

"Well, it's a more advanced form of telepathy..."

"Jesus, that was scary... I've still got the chills..."

"Well, we couldn't have known she could do that and judging by her behaviour, neither did she..." The tan coloured male said while gently rubbing his chin, thoughtfully, his look still on the blonde female.

"But what is so different about mindwalking then?" Charley asked confused. Throttle glanced at her direction and gave her a small but warm smile before starting to explain, like ever-so-diligent teacher to a student.

"The telepathic connection we're having is a sort of a conversation, with thoughts and emotions that build into this language we somehow understand. We're connecting on a thought-level. But as a mindwalker, she's able to transfer herself, via the mindwaveweb to actually be there with him, wherever he is...And experience or witness whatever he's experiencing...Or to put it in this way: if the telepathic connection resembles a conversation then mindwalking is sort of like hanging out inside the other person's mind while this person is knowingly or unknowingly projecting information inside and outside his mind, so the mindwalker could also sense what is happening to the person and around the person while still not physically being there."

"What the hell?" Charley blurted but shook her head as she continued.

"So she can do that while being this far apart? I thought you guys had to, you know, poke with those antennae of yours to be able to do this kind of stuff anyway..."

"Well, as they're a couple I guess it works from far apart as well... Noone really understand fully how our antennae and the abilities connected to them work... I guess she first made the telepathic connection and somehow slipped from that level to a deeper level and actually found herself with him..."

"Why she had her eyes open?"

"I can't say, I mean I've heard that the mindwalkers could actually also use the other person's senses; the sight, hearing, smell...I guess she was trying to see around her, well, to see around him that is..."

"Okay, so you guys talked earlier about the mindcontrollers... She's like that or...?"

"No, no...Mindwalking is a sort of inactive activity whereas mindcontrolling is active. The mindcontrollers are probing the mind. It's the ultimate level of this telepathic ability if you will and it's extremely rare to be able to do that in the first place, but it can be a very powerful thing to know how...That's why the government wanted that mindcontrol machine to their hands..." Throttle talked but was cut of by Stoker's annoyed voice.

"Hey, you two! We don't need a narrative here, okay?" Stoker only replied.

"Sorry..." Charley blurted sheepishly and met Aprilia's brown eyes.

"I was just...very confused about all this...Alien here, remember?" The auburn haired female said and then leaned back on her chair, like that way giving the small blonde female and Stoker more space. She gave a last look on Throttle who only gave her a gentle nod as an apology for his mentor's behaviour. But Stoker was right, this might not be the time and place to start a class on Martian psychology and neuroscience. Not that he would be any expert on that matter anyway. Actually the only one who would maybe have more wisdom about these topics was actually looking herself like hit in the head as Aprilia's look was still wildly moving between Stoker and the other ones in the room, looking confused.

Stoker turned back to Aprilia.

"...we can find him, Aprilia. You just have to take us there. Tell us about the place."

Aprilia only stared at him back, her brown eyes big but doubt was written all over her face and Stoker noticed that as he then placed his both hands on her shoulders.

"You can find him."

Aprilia closed her eyes and gave a sigh, shaking her head.

"I don't...I'm not..." Her thoughts were all over the place and her fatigueness started to crush in. She suddenly felt lightheaded and her throat was dry.

"I need some water..." She was to stand up but fell backwards on the chair again, like her legs couldn't carry her at the moment. Stoker gave room to Rimfire who quickly knelt down infront of the blonde female and went himself to fetch some water for her.

"Aprilia, you need to rest..." Rimfire looked at the female infront of him.

"No, I'm fine... I guess my legs just got all numb for sitting so long..."

"Don't lie, doesn't suit ya..." Rimfire looked into her eyes.

"That mindwalking took quite a toll on ya... It's better if you went to lie down for awhile..."

"We don't have time for lying down!"

"Look, you know that I want to bring him back here as much as you... But I don't want to see you gettin' hurt either..." Rimfire talked in a silent and lower voice than his usual tone.

"I'll not get hurt... I promise." Aprilia talked in equally quiet voice.

"But we have to help him now before it's too late... I felt him, Rimfire... He's not gonna make it if we're not finding him..."

Rimfire studied her expression, absent-mindedly stroking her palm. He then nodded, looking away.

"Fine... But if things start to take a darker turn, you know if something happens to you... We'll stop the connection." Rimfire said not really sure if they could even do that, stop the connection, but he atleast wanted to think like they could.

Aprilia nodded back but then saw Stoker coming back to the main hall, carrying a mug filled with water. The old commander handed the mug for her.

"There you go, doc..."

Aprilia took the mug and drank it empty. Stoker observed her for a brief moment before changing his look to Rimfire like wanting to know into what conclusion they had comen while he had been away. Rimfire gave him a glance back and then got up but only to sit on top of the table.

"Well, Uncle Modo would kick all of our asses if he knew we were to make her go through that again while she's in that state...But if she thinks she can do it again then... Let's try the mindwalk again."

Stoker nodded and gave Aprilia a look.

"You want to try it again?"

Aprilia looked into the empty mug and then nodded back before turning her brown eyes back on the commander.

"If you think I can help him... That I could know where he is then... I want to try to find him."

Stoker nodded with a warm smile back and turned to give Vinnie a look.

"Meanwhile... The sun is about to rise again... Maybe you can go and take a few men with you to search the desert again and if we'll get some hints where he could be, we'll inform you."

Vinnie sprang up.

"Yes! Thank you!" He nearly sounded desperate.

"I was already starting to fade away here! I mean, no offense, it's all good that you guys wanna do this mental stuff but I was born to whip tail in this dimension!"

"But, you'll look for Modo and Simson, not for trouble, got it?" Stoker pointed at him.

"Lookin' for trouble, moi? Hey, don't sweat it, oldtimer! I never miss a trick!"

"No, but you often miss the point..." Stoker concluded dryly.

"Take Maico, Raleigh, Haden and Hudson with you. Try to cover as much area as you can..."

"Hey, I'm gonna ride like lightning! I'm hitting that sand hurricane-style! And I'm sure the others will try to do the best they can as well..." Vinnie talked cheerfully while checking his flare-situation in the small pockets of his bandoliers. Stoker only glared at him back, not looking too amused. Vinnie then gave them all a look.

"Well, I'm off then...To the rescue! Oh, man, if I could only capture this moment of monumental glory and record it! Show it to Modo what type of a heroic saga it turned out to be for me, his hero, to risk my life and go out there and save him! Maybe I'll write him a book about it..."

"Vincent!"

"Right, I'll be gone! Bye, y'all! Good luck with that mind-thingy! Be not sad, my loved one! I shall return!" Vinnie blew a kiss towards Charley who only nodded back, watching him leaving the room. After that type of a speech, what could she say anyway without sounding somewhat lame...?

As the peace fell upon them again Stoker took a chair and pulled it closer to Aprilia.

"Okay, we'll start slow again, alright...? But before we start, can you tell us what do you remember you saw during the first connection?"

Aprilia's look became frowned as she was trying to remember was there anything but darkness but she sighed and shook her head.

"No. It was only black. Black everywhere."

She then remembered something.

"But I felt water! All around me... I remember I couldn't breathe..." She thought out loud and Stoker nodded. They had all witnessed her trying to gasp air like she was suffocating but he had thought to make her remember that herself was a better way than to just tell her that she hadn't been able to breathe even if they had tried to help her. Luckily that part had not taken so long and she had waken up from her mindwalk quickly after that.

"What about hearing or smelling something peculiar or familiar?" Stoker asked.

Again Aprilia was to shake her head but then she suddenly stopped and she lifted her gaze to meet Stoker's eyes.

"There was this smell. This... I don't know... It was something very familiar but yet...I can't place it..."

Throttle became alerted and he immidiately stood up and hurried to Stoker's and Rimfire's side which were already hovering around the blonde female.

"What type of smell was it?"

"I don't know..." Aprilia began to feel slightly anxious again.

"Sweet? Bitter? Earthy? Chemical?" Throttle just kept on and Aprilia only shook her head.

"I don't know!"

"Try to remember!"

"I am trying if you just stopped pushing me!" Aprilia shouted back and Throttle felt immidiately Rimfire entering his mindwaves, telling him to stop. He gave the young male a look and this only casted his look away. Rimfire wasn't the one to oppose authority figures like Stoker or Throttle (well, not too often that is) but she was family to him and he felt protective towards her, noone was allowed to mess with his family.

Throttle scratched his brow a moment but then turned to Aprilia again.

"Sorry about that..." He sighed with a low raspy voice but he couldn't help but feel himself tensing up. He knew that the worry over his bro was also raising his worry over Carbine but he needed to stay collected, for both of them.

"I didn't mean to be mean, Aprilia...I guess we're all a lil' on the egde here..." He concluded before giving her a quick look.

Aprilia took a deep breath and closed her eyes and tried to think about the smell she knew she know from somewhere... She began to go through different places on Mars, different plants, foods... Where she had smelled that scent before...? She was going back to the place where she had smelled that just moments ago in her mind... In his mind... It had been dark, black... The silkiness of the water all around her, she had felt she couldn't breath, something pressing against her lungs, the sting...And then there was no water... the silkiness was replaced by something hard...It was stone floor...She could almost feel it under her hands, the smoothness of the surface...And then she smelled the scent again. What was that? Where it came from? She tried to see around but it was still dark all around her and she suddenly felt her breathing to become harder again. And she gasped for air.

Stoker, Rimfire and Throttle all startled and they looked at each others and then the blonde female sitting infront of them now having her eyes open again as she was hunching down in her chair, gasping for air.

"She's mindwalking again?!" Throttle asked and knelt down infront of her while giving Stoker a look who ran his palm over his face.

"Look, I'm not an expert on these matters either...! Maybe now that she got the connection it's easier for her to slip into his mind again...!"

Rimfire looked worried as he took Aprilia's hand and stroked it, but being more hard than soft with his touch, he needed her to feel that she was safe...He curled his tail around her calf. He shot Stoker a look, his look stating that this was not good and they should stop this before it goes too far. Stoker knew his thoughts and he came closer also, observing the female who had her back hunched, her look casted on the floor as she was breathing hard, trying to get the air run in her lungs.

"We can't let her continue this! This is too much for her!" Rimfire barked at Stoker, his look desperate.

"We wait still!" Stoker raised his voice, keeping a close eye on the female while Rimfire turned his now terrified look towards the small female again, gripping her calf strongly.

"Can we talk to her while she's in that state...?" Throttle asked and Stoker looked agitated and he then crouched near her, keeping his look on Aprilia the whole time.

"I don't know... We can try...?" Stoker thougth out loud and was to maybe try and say something to her but the sand coloured young male beat him to it, keeping his voice down, trying to sound soothing.

"It's okay, Aprilia, we're here... You're okay... Try to breathe, you can breathe...It's not you who's having trouble breathing... You're okay..."

Rimfire touched her cheek and stroked it while looking at her eyes that were not seeing them infront of her. Even for the Martians this was not a common thing to witness. Sure, they've all heard about mindwalking but it was another thing to see it with your own eyes.

"Aprilia, what are you seeing? Are you smelling that scent again? Can you place it?" Stoker then talked to the female, observing her the same time, like trying to make up his mind when it would be the time for them to try and stop this, when it would be too dangerous for her. Aprilia was just silently looking around her, still being some place else, not seeing the three big males hunching over her. Suddenly Charley pushed them aside as she knelt down infront of Aprilia.

"Do you feel the air? You feel the wind blowing?"

The males gave each others a look and turned it back on the auburn haired woman who only gave them all a look.

"Look, if she feels the wind blow or something, we can eliminate half of the places... He's either still underground somewhere or not..."

"Good thinking..." Stoker nodded and mentally kicked himself for not thinking to ask that himself. But Aprilia remained silent as ever still her eyes looking around the room before she suddenly gasped air and that seemed to brought her back to this time and place and Rimfire quickly took her into his arms as she collapsed, not able to even keep herself in the sitting position anymore. He gently put her to lie down on the floor as she was breathing fairly normally again, her eyes closed and her face pale. Rimfire wished that they hadn't pushed her too far and that she was okay but felt her to suddenly grab him by his arm and she opened her eyes, looking straight at the young male.

"It wasn't "what" but "who"!"

"Sorry?" Rimfire gave her a confused look.

"The smell! I know what that was! I know who it is! It's Mace!"


	8. Chapter 8 : Golden-Billed Finch

_Hello everyone!_

_I've had some difficulties to write since I've been very busy with other things happening in my life... Also the more time you're spending without writing the harder it is to get to that "flow"-state of mind...  
_

_Then I would like to say to all of you fellow writers that you're doing amazing job out there, I mean really, talking about setting the bar high...Your stories are amazing, keep it up! I love reading them! There are so many excellent writers out there it's unbelievable..._

_Well, I managed to sit down and write this chapter for you all (it's maybe the seventh version of it or so...Don't know, lost in the counts...). I don't want to rush through it, I really try to aim for the perfection but then suddenly nothing is satisfying... So, I took some time to just step back and take a deep breath and in the end, I managed to concentrate properly and write._

_I want to say thanks to all of you who have been there to read my story, I mean I went to check how many there have already been visiting my first part of the story (The New Dawn of the Red Planet) during this twelve months (I literally started to write this long continus story a year ago! Can't believe how fast time flies...) and it's been over 5000 hits so...that is amazing, thank you all! Really. It's also nice to see that many of you have returned to read this second part as well. That is super nice since I believe this little "saga" is going to be a long one! I have so many ideas for the future plots..._

_But let us stay in the present for now as here it is, the chapter 8. It is a short chapter but next one will be longer again now that I've got my flow back._

_Enjoy and please write even a small feedback/comment since that is keeping me motivated to write you guys some more..._

_Until next time!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 8**

**Golden-Billed Finch  
**

"Mace?!" Everyone asked in unison and stared at Aprilia who was still lying on the floor, trying to steady her breathing as well as her racing heart. The small female only nodded back.

"I know it was him! I know I smelled him! We all did live in the Headquarters during the war, I know his smell... I even patched him up a couple of times, that bloody traitor... Should've used an infected needle..." Aprilia muttered, still finding strength to feel pissed off about what Mace had done to the Freedom Fighters as well as to Mars. Her eyes then fell on Stoker.

"But if Mace is somewhere around... Modo's badly hurt! Mace could harm him!"

Stoker looked thoughtful. Things had taken an interesting turn. If Mace was lurking somewhere around or even behind some of the things they had witnessed and come across lately... Then they would have a bigger problem, since Mace had being one of the Fighters, he knew the Fighters and their tactics. He knew how a Freedom Fighter thought.

Rimfire stroked gently Aprilia's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll find Uncle Modo and bring him back..."

The sand coloured young male gave Throttle and Stoker a look.

"Right?"

"Right..." Throttle and Stoker answered in unison, both having the same uncertain tone in their voice and they both gave each other a quick glance, before Throttle cleared his throat. He didn't want to lie to them but at this point it was still like looking a needle in a haystack.

"We still need more information about where they might be... Can you give us anything else? Did you smell something else...? Or hear?"

Aprilia looked thoughtful as she was going through in her mind what she had just experienced during the mindwalk.

"I did feel the cold and hard stone floor... No sand. And there was no wind."

"Okay, so that can mean he's still underground, in those tunnels..." Throttle nodded, kneeling down beside the blonde female.

"There was this sound..." Aprilia closed her eyes and tried to hear the sound again. It got a melody. It was a high-pitched singing voice...Like a...

"It was a golden-billed finch!" She then threw her eyes open again and sat up with so much force that Rimfire and Throttle who were hunching over her had to take a hasty step backwards.

"Golden-billed finch?" Charley raised her eyebrow and to her amazement Rimfire looked evenly confused.

"It's a bird." Stoker replied shortly to Charley but turned his look on Rimfire.

"If you spent as much time in the nature as you do behind those computers of yours you might know a thing or two about the wild-life as well..."

"Well, I know there's a shitload of sand, no need to stare at it hours a day..." Rimfire muttered back with a pouty look.

"It's a highly endangered bird, even in Martian standards... " Throttle then explained, rubbing his chin but then casted his look on Stoker and the old commander quickly followed his train of thought.

"...so there are not many places where one might find them chirping away...! That's actually very helpful, Aprilia!" Stoker gave the female Martian a look who was swaying a little on her place, while sitting on the floor, feeling still a bit lightheaded after the mindwalk.

"Did Haden go with Vinnie and the others?" Throttle asked Stoker who nodded back.

"Yeah, why?"

"He's a true wild-life-fanatic... If there's someone who knows where we can find these birds it's gonna be him!"

"You try to conctact him while I'll gather the rest of the Fighters and the rats and we'll arm ourselves to the teeth... If Mace is hiding somewhere near the place with his troops we need to be ready. We might not have the numbers but we sure got the firepower! But remember, our mission is to find Modo and Simson, Mace we can skewer another day..." The brown furred male muttered with a voice that told the others that he wouldn't mind if the day was today. He and Throttle left the main hall in a hurry.

Rimfire looked after the two and then gave Aprilia a concerned look.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yes! You're just like your uncle... I'm not made out of glass! Now go find him, he needs you." Aprilia squeezed the tall young male's hand and he answered with a warm smile but as he got up he gave Charley a look.

"Could you take care of her...? See that she rests?"

"I think I know how to take care of myself! I'm a doctor after all..." Aprilia protested but Rimfire didn't pay attention to her protests as he only looked at Charley who nodded back with a smile.

"I will, don't worry. Go find Modo."

Rimfire nodded back and after giving Aprilia a last look he left the hall in a hurry too, leaving the two females alone. Charley carefully eyed the light brown furred female sitting and swaying still infront of her, looking a little pale. It dawned on her that this was the first time she and the small curvy female were alone together. She looked at her messy blonde hair that had not been combed for over 24 hours and her big brown eyes looked tired, there were a few lines under her eyes and she suddenly appeared a few years older... Charley gave a deep sigh.

"Rimfire is right, you should rest... I'm not an expert on any Martian things except maybe on the topic of how much it costs to house three big Martian males with a powerful urge to destroy everything in their sight... But I can tell that the mindwalk really wore you down and on top of that, none of us had had any sleep...It's been a long night."

Aprilia only nodded back, looking down and fiddling the fabric of her dress. She drew her tail closer to her and she somehow looked vulnerable to Charley and after a little hesitation the auburn haired Earthling put her arm around Aprilia's shoulders, feeling the silky fine fur of her arm under her fingers, it was way finer than the fur of the furry trio she had comen to know so well. Aprilia also felt softer, as a civilian, she lacked the big muscles all the Fighters had, even the female Fighters were well-built. Harley, too who weren't a Fighter per se was training with the Fighters at the gym.

"I can't get any sleep... I might as well work." Aprilia's voice was like a soft whisper again, even if slightly raspy after all the shouting and crying she had been doing during the day and night. Charley sighed, stroking her arm.

"Okay, tell you what... You go lie down for a moment and after you feel a bit better, I'll help you down at the infirmary, to get everything set. How's that? I'm sure they'll take several hours before they're back anyway..." Charley tried to use a more upbeat tone in her voice even though she could feel the sickening worry inside her as well. Aprilia only nodded but then turned her dark brown eyes to the Earthling.

"Thanks. For being here."

"Yes, sure, glad I can help..." Charley only answered but Aprilia shook her head.

"No, I mean thanks for coming to Mars. It means a lot to Modo, Vinnie and Throttle. I can tell."

Charley felt a pinch in her heart and she turned her look away, suddenly feeling a bit shy and in loss of words. Aprilia studied the Earthling beside her.

"Modo even refers to you as his lil' sister."

Charley felt a few tears crawling to her eyes but she managed to keep herself from crying and she only smiled back and nodded.

"They're like brothers to me, too..." But hurried to correct herself.

"Well, not Vinnie, obviously, that would be weird since we're you know...Together." She chuckled and Aprilia gave a small smile back before turning her gaze away.

The short curvy female was silent for a while and Charley only felt her breathing as she had her arm around her.

"Have you experienced war?" Aprilia asked suddenly.

Charley was a bit taken back by this question but she shook her head.

"No. I haven't." She added with a quiet voice.

Aprilia nodded and sniffed quietly.

"You're very lucky." She whispered.

Charley didn't really know how to answer that but tried anyway.

"Yes, I've been lucky."

Aprilia nodded, too and then started to fiddle the grey fabric of her dress again.

"They're soldiers. Their job is to put their lives on the line. Every single day. For Mars. They're prepared to die for Mars. And that's just something I have to live with. I know that. And you'll soon learn that too."

Aprilia gave Charley a quick look before turning her gaze away again.

"But I just wish that it wouldn't be so."

Charley stroked her arm gently, listening to her. She didn't know whether she should answer that, or say something uplifting but in the end she decided that sometimes it was just better to say nothing and just be there.

x

x

"..._the golden-billed finch? Oh, yeah, that's a real beauty, really lovely singing voice as well... Did you know that they could fly around Mars with one continuos flight..? They do that every year!" _Haden's ginger-coloured mohawk was dancing in the desert wind as he was telling Throttle and Rimfire via VidCom about the bird Aprilia had heard during her mindwalk. He had stopped his bike and taken away his helmet.

"That's all very interesting, Haden, but right now we're more interested in as where to find those chirpers?" Throttle asked.

"_Well... There are only two places where one can find the golden-billed finches... The most of the population is living close to the North Pole..."_

"In the rat territory." Rimfire concluded.

"_Yes, but in the recent years many have seen them also around Mount Olympus..."_ Haden continued but then saw the two males' exchanging looks and cleared his throat.

"_Why...? I thought we were trying to find Big Fella' and that Simson dude, why so sudden interest in ornitology?"_

"During her mindwalk, Aprilia heard the golden-billed finch. I think if one might find them close to the Mount Olympus then I think our safest bet is to start looking from there..."

"_Mount Olympus? But that means that we have to go through Brimstone City... And trust me when I say that with this raggety bunch we will draw attention! We're wanted men! They'll call the freakin' national guard on our asses..!"_

"I know. That's why we need a plan. Tell the others we'll meet at the Next Exit-bar, you remember where it is?" Throttle asked.

"Sure I remember! A lot of good memories from that bar... It's still the first thing one sees when entering the Cave Mice Territory..." Haden nodded.

"We'll get there in one hour, we'll bring the rest of us there and the rebel rats. See you then!" Throttle concluded.

"_Aye, aye!" _Haden salutated and the VidCom shut down. Throttle gave Rimfire a look.

"Ready to head out, raise mayhem and save a few good men while at it?"

"Like how! Let's roll!" Rimfire cheered and they rushed to the garage.

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	9. Chapter 9: Next Exit

_Hi!_

_Okay, let's keep it short and simple this time:_

_T__hank you Vlaatjee and bmfm fangirl for your comments! I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story! And thanks to DinoDragonMaster as well, glad to see you're back! _

_Well, nothing else to say here, except:_

_enjoy the chapter 9!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 9**

**Next Exit  
**

Throttle stopped his bike and in an instant felt the sand whirl around him as a dozen of Fighters and a small group of rats did exactly the same. The tan furred male got off his bike and took away his helmet. He took a few steps towards Stoker who was still sitting on his black bike, looking around him in a relaxed manner.

"This still is a Fighter-friendly joint?" Throttle asked and Stoker nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, I still come here to grab a beer every once in a while... It's been some time now, though..." Stoker got up and walked towards the bar which was inside a large rock the colour of burnt sienna, it had a couple of saloon-type of doors that quietly swayed along the desert wind and on the treshold there was a nice heap of fine desert sand piled up. Apart from the bar, there wasn't anything else in their sight, in any direction, even Brimstone City was still a nice little bike ride away.

"Maybe we should still go quietly and..." Throttle thought out loud but Stoker was already by the doors and flung them open in a pretentious style and once inside the bar he threw his hands in the air as a friendly salute.

"Victor! Long-time no seen, ol' buddy!"

"...or we could just go without a care, I guess..." Throttle muttered as he walked after the commander of the Freedom Fighters, giving still a careful look around them, somebody had to make sure that they would be safe here... He turned around to give the other Fighters and the rats a look.

"We should wait inside until Vinnie and the others will join us...Someone might spot us here..."

As Throttle stepped inside the bar he looked around and saw that apart from Stoker who was now leaning against the bar counter, the bar was luckily empty. Throttle glanced around the bar and noticed that nothing had hardly changed inside the joint which had been the Fighters' number one "water-hole" during the war. He could swear he still saw the marks of some bar quarrels they had left to the decor. A slight smile entered his lips as he suddenly remembered those good times they had had during those years. Sure the war had left them with a lot more bad memories than the good ones... But he couldn't deny that he hadn't experienced some of the most joyous times of his life during the war as well when they had not been fighting the enemy at the frontiers, when the Fighters had gathered around a campfire, in the Headquarters or in this bar, to have a few beers and just enjoyed each other's company. The comradeship between the Fighters had been and still was something Throttle knew he would never find anywhere else. It was something special. They were all his brothers and sisters. They were a family. What was left of them...

Throttle was brought back from his memories as he heard Stoker's voice and he turned his look to the old commander who was leaning against the bar counter and talking with the owner of the bar.

"...you haven't seen any Army activity around here, have ya?"

"...well, sometimes they drive past... They don't usually stop by here. And that's okay, too, I don't mind not seein' them around my bar either..."

The owner was an older male, tall and slender. He turned his eyes as he heard the bar doors flinging from customers. He tapped his hands together.

"My oh my! Can my eyes see clearly? Isn't it a bar full of Fighters again! It's being a while boys and girls! What can I get ya?"

"That's okay, Victor, we are on duty...We don't drink and drive...Too often..." Stoker talked while eyeing his group of Fighters as well.

"On duty? The Fighters are back?" Victor asked.

"The Fighters are back...!" Stoker tapped the counter but then whispered with a grin.

"But don't tell anyone, it's a secret..."

"Your secrets are safe with me, you know that... These lips are sealed when it comes to the national security!" Victor nodded and Stoker only smirked and grabbed a handful of salted nuts from a small bowl and threw them into his mouth.

"So, what made you guys become active again?" Victor asked, a bit worried now. Throttle took a few steps forward and stroked his hair and a small cloud of desert sand appeared and slowly fell to the floor as a result.

"It's maybe best if you don't know about it... For your own sake..." Throttle muttered.

"Ah, bullshit! Don't gimme that! I'm old enough to be your father, don't tell me what's best for me!" The owner then pointed at himself, glaring at Throttle who only had a humoured look on his face. He knew the bar owner and he knew he had a temper but he also had a good heart.

"I'm not one who bows to our government, you fellas know that...! They're as rotten as the last one! Now, what they have done now?" The owner threw the rag he had used to clean the counter away, getting slightly irritated as the conversation had turned to a subject he clearly loathed and Stoker gave a slight snicker as he threw one peanut in the air and caught it with his mouth.

"Well, you have seen the news, right? We've got our pretty faces all over the papers... Now they know exactly who we are and they sure want to catch us..." He smiled as if the news were good news.

"Don't worry, the people know the truth..." The owner of the bar waved his hand, now a little more relaxed.

"Yeah. Let's hope so... Otherwise this all will be for nothing..." Throttle sighed and gave a look at the Fighters and the rebel rats who were all chilling inside the bar, some seated, some glaring out of the windows. The owner seemed to now notice the rats also.

"So...You got rats in your crew again? I remember you telling me that they stabbed you all in the back during the war..."

Stoker gave the rats a look who were not really paying attention on the owner's remarks.

"Yeah, that was unfortunate. For everyone. But it wasn't the rats who betrayed us, it was this one individual..." Stoker muttered.

"Well, I don't mind as long as we're all gettin' along... Besides the rats have never caused me any trouble... Unlike a certain bunch of boisterous and drunken mice..." Victor muttered giving Stoker a glance.

"Yeah, sorry about that... You know the offer still stands if you want, I'll order my men here to fix this place up! It would be our pleasure and honor to help you out since you've been helping us out along the way..."

"Oh, that's okay... Gives this place a certain charm... Shabby chic I believe they call it nowadays..." Victor snorted.

Throttle gave the rats a look and took a few steps forward, lowering his voice.

"What about the tunnels? You remember if there's a tunnel leading to the mountain? That way we wouldn't even have to trespass the city..."

"No. Not that we know of. Ofcourse it can be that Mace and his troops have dug more tunnels since the tunnels are their kingdom nowadays..." One of the rats, who clearly had taken Simson's place as the temporary leader of the rebel rats while Simson was gone, stated. He had a light brown fur, a red bandana around his head and his other ear got three bullet holes.

Throttle gave a nod to him.

"What's your name?"

"Name's Seven."

"Seven?" Throttle repeated, his lips twitching slightly.

"Got a problem with that?" Seven asked and Throttle chuckled back.

"Hey, my folks named me Throttle, so..."

Seven nodded with a chuckle but gave a look outside as they heard a roar of the engines getting nearer.

"That'll be the obnoxiously loud one with the others?" Seven asked, taking a better look through the window and in deed he saw five bikes racing towards the bar, one red racer clearly in the lead.

"Yup, that's our Vinnie in the lead..." Throttle said, only concluding what was the obvious, coming to the window as well. They saw the owner of the red racer suddenly making a handstand while driving. There really was no other reason for him to do that except to prove everyone that he was, in fact the greatest biker of all. The white furred driver then reached the bar, as the first one of course, and he made a super low slide towards the row of bikes parked on the front of the bar, his knee nearly touching the ground and the tires of his red racer threw a wave of sand on top of the other bikes. Vinnie put his other boot on the ground and lifted his bike up, opening up his visor. He then stretched out and reclined on his bike, like he had been there taking a nap just in time to give the other four bikers who just got there too, a bored look.

"Hey, what took ya guys so long?"

"This wasn't a competition, air head!" Maico took her helmet off and shook her dark brown hair.

"I guess you're right, it's not a competition without any worthy opponents which, sweetheart you just ain't...!" Vinnie gave a smug smile.

"You want your nose to match your bike, loudmouth?" Maico placed her palms on her hips and Raleigh, Haden and Hudson snickered behind her. Vinnie only crossed his arms, not looking impressed.

"Hm, some are just the sorest losers..."

"This wasn't a competition!" Maico raised her voice again but stopped as she saw Throttle and Stoker along with the other Fighters and the rebel rats stepping out of the bar.

"To the Mount Olympus?" Haden asked as he had already spoken with Throttle.

"To the Mount Olympus." Throttle concluded and gave Stoker a look who nodded as well.

"We'll divide into two groups as we can assume that we will be noticed while driving through Brimstone City, the Army will be on our asses surely... We will try to loose them off our tails and then the first group will ride straight towards Mount Olympus and a few of us will stay behind and distract the Army. Any volunteers to the team that'll mess with the soldier boys?"

"Wait, which team saves the day?" Vinnie looked thoughtful and Throttle heaved a bored sigh, leaning against the stone wall of the bar, his arms crossed.

"This is team work, Vincent, we all save the day..."

"Right..." Vinnie drawled, looking still doubtful as he was stroking his chin but then snapped out of it.

"I'll distract the Army!"

"What? You don't want the monumental glory of saving your bro?" Maico snickered, raising her eyebrow.

"Well, I'm sure Modo is already holding me in the most highest regards..." Vinnie babbled.

"Yeah, I'm sure he does..." Throttle chuckled in the background.

"...but Haden already filled us in about some bird-watching and that really doesn't sound cool or go well with my image so...I'm gonna go and have a party while you guys can search for the turkeys...!" Vinnie confirmed, looking already ready to hit the road.

"It's a golden-billed finch, not a turkey. We do not have turkeys here." Haden sighed, leaning his cheek to his palm, his ginger-coloured mohawk dancing in the air again.

"Oh, whatever, look I'm already sleeping..." Vinnie faked a yawn and Haden shook his head irritated.

Throttle scratched his brow.

"Fine, Vinnie you take Maico and..."

"No!" Maico protested.

"Why am I always paired up with that puffed up lunatic?"

"Hey, consider it a privilege, sweetheart..." Vinnie wiggled his eyebrows.

"Consider it "pass". I'm going turkey-hunting, too!" Maico concluded.

"It's not a turkey...!" Haden grunted annoyed.

"Raleigh? You wanna play with Vinnie?" Stoker asked, like a dad from his child.

"Sure. There's nothing like a good quarrel with the tin soldiers!" Raleigh gave a smirk and tied his long silvery hair to a ponytail and put his helmet back on.

"Right, well I'm sure you two can make a scene that'll distract the Army so the rest of us are going to the mountain, we all know how vast the place is and we still don't really know where to look at our two bros...So we really need as many of us as possible to search the area...And as I've already told you all but let's put it out there again... We can assume that Mace can also be somewhere near so...just a heads up. And if we do come across Mace, well, we're gonna have a little chat with him..." Stoker said and patted his bike which like all the other bikes were armed to the teeth, gunholsters attached around the bikes with weapons all sorts sticking out of them.

"You're okay to fight against Mace and his rat troops?" Throttle gave Seven a look who only nodded back.

"Would like nothing more. Mace betrayed his own people, too. The rats are scared of him and his troops. He made us rebels to live in exile, leave the rat territory, leave our families...But like Stoker stated before, our priority is to find our comrades but if we do come across Mace, well, we'll got no problem to show some love for our "brothers"..."

"Okay, we're all set here! Let's go and find our comrades! Let's ride, Fighters and Rebels!" Stoker banged his fist into the air and they all hopped on to their bikes and revved them and started their ride towards the Mount Olympus which already was looming omniously ahead of them. From here, they could just barely see the glimpses of the Brimstone City which was situated under the mountain.

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Aprilia opened her eyes and blinked them a few times. She carefully looked around herself as she sat up, flinging her legs over the hospital bed she was on at the moment.

"Morning, sleepyhead! Slept well?" Charley suddenly popped up from somewhere and Aprilia startled a bit.

"Yeah...Well, I had a weird dream but I guess in these circumstances it's predictable..." She sighed, stretching her neck from side to side. Her whole body felt tired and ready to fall back to sleep some more if only she could just have the time and will to do so...She then quickly gave the clock on the infirmary wall a look.

"What time it is? How long did I sleep? Has Throttle or Stoker called already?"

"Relax. You slept only about an hour... Throttle just radioed that they had reached the Next Exit bar and that they'll be gone atleast some hours still..." Charley tried to calm the young woman down.

Aprilia nodded and swallowed. Her throat felt dry. She raised her look and saw herself via the mirroring surface of a metal tray that was leaning against the wall, near her. She saw her blonde hair looking wild and she tried to tame it a bit down, carefully patting the curls.

"Making yourself pretty for your boyfriend?" She heard a low voice and she looked behind her and saw Major Rig, tied on to his hospital bed. Aprilia turned her look quickly away, closing her eyes, the memories of the Major violently entering her practise at the healthcare centre and him strangling her, trying to force some answers out of her, rushing to her mind. Rig had been tied to his hospital bed from the moment the Fighters had found and captured him. The Fighters rarely took prisoners if ever but he still could have valuable information about the government's plans and schemes as he was one of the most high-ranking officers in this secret army division who had been making the government's dirty work since the days of war. Also the fact that the Major hated the Fighters with passion and was well-connected was not really making him a liable opponent to let run around free... The Fighters knew as the law was backing up their current government to do as they pleased, none of the corrupted people would be put behind the bars, to face the music. So, as for now, it was best that Major Rig was kept under their surveillance.

"I guess it's all for nothing since what I've heard it can be that your boyfriend lies dead somewhere." Major Rig talked again and that got Aprilia's eyes to suddenly flame up. She shot up and nearly ran to the further most corner of the infirmary and grabbed the Rig's bed end and snapped the locks off from the tires and rolled the bed towards the doorway in fast speed.

"You crazy woman! Stop it! What are you doing?!" Rig shouted and he seemed to be genuinely a bit shocked about this sudden mood change that had occured in this small curvy female.

Aprilia flung the bed around and pushed it out of the infirmary and the bed slid across the garage before it stopped infront of one Fighter that had been ordered to stay behind to see that everything was okay at the Headquarters. The Fighter glanced at the bed and the cursing and tied up Rig who tried to get himself free from the ropes but couldn't. The Fighter turned his puzzled gaze to Aprilia who was standing in the doorway of the infirmary, looking pissed.

"His medical service package just ran out!" Aprilia shouted and turned around and marched back to the infirmary.

"God damn psycho bitch!" Rig shouted after her but felt a punch on his side and looked up and saw the Fighter standing there his rifle poking at him.

"You shut your mouth, traitor, or it'll be shot for you..." He poked again with his rifle, just as an emphasis and Rig grunted something but lied down again, mumbling to himself, cursing all the Fighters and their allies.

x

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	10. Chapter 10: Sky Gods and Love

_Okay, so..._

_This turned out to be a little different chapter..._

_I was suppoused to write something else but for some reason this idea to write about this little chapter nearly entirely from Throttle's point of view just somehow kept on knocking on my mind until I just gave up and did this little chapter. There's no dialogue which is always weird for me to write since I love writing dialogues but it's also good to have these "silent chapters" every once and a while..._

_Well, I'm actually writing the next chapter already and half of it is already written but we'll see when I'm having the time to write the rest of it..._

_Thank you all who have been reading and reviewing!_

_Here's chapter 10..._

_Enjoy!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 10**

**Sky Gods and Love**

Even if the Martians and especially the mice population had to stare at the great Mount Olympus every day as it was so large that one saw it even if one was hundreds of kilometers away from its' dark walls that climbed towards the sky, the view never ceased to amaze and make oneself feel extra small.

It had been believed in the ancient times that the mountain lead straight to the sky gods as the top part had usually been covered with clouds, like a hidden entrence. The mountain had been feared and respected it was believed that the mortals should leave the place for the gods and the priests and never to go there. Nowadays however as it never rained anymore on Mars and there was so little moisture in the air as on the ground as well that there hardly were any clouds anywhere over Mars and so the top of Mount Olympus was now plainly seen. It was like the gods had decided to discard the people of Mars and closed the gates to the sky.

Even if the Martian religion had evolved from the ancient times, and even if the tales of the sky gods sounded more like fairy-tales to a modern Martian, one couldn't escape the feeling of loneliness while looking at the colossal that had been casting its' great shadow over the Martian planes millions and millions of years... Looking at the mountain now reminded everyone of the tales of the great sky gods and the gates that were now closed forever. And somehow while looking at their planet and seeing the destruction still all around them...Fairytale or not, it just felt real. It felt like the gods had abandoned them.

Throttle was now feeling the exact sensation to go through his body as they were driving towards the mountain and towards Brimstone City that had been situated hundreds of years under the mountain. The feeling of loneliness wiped through him but was gone as quickly as it had occured but it had lingered long enough inside him for him to recognize the sensation.

He made an unconsious act to look over his shoulder to see the twenty-heads-strong group of bikers driving behind him. He most definately was not alone. Yet, the quick sensation of loneliness had turned his thoughts on the deeper feeling he had felt coiling inside him for quite some time now. He could feel that something was missing. Or someone to be exact. Carbine...

She had been locked up inside the Army's base for two weeks soon and he had not heard anything from her; how she might be doing, in what condition she was in... That information was kept from the publicity as the General was been held as a captive as she was charged of treason against the government. So Throttle knew she was alive. The government needed her alive so she could go through her trial but that did not mean that they couldn't harm or hurt her. The trial would be soon and the Fighters did not have too much time on their hands if they wanted to free Carbine. But there was just a few things still that needed to be done before they could try and free her. And Throttle was sure that the government knew that too that the Fighters were going to try to free her. That's why she would be held in the most guarded place inside the Army Base. There would be guards and cameras. It would be hard. But hard was not a synonym for impossible. They would try. And Throttle had a plan ready. They would need the help from the inside. Lieutenant Radius, Rimfire's stepdad had offered his help to find and gather the ones still loyal to General Carbine. At the moment though they haven't heard a beep out of the lieutenant and Throttle had started to get slightly worried.

Throttle absent-mindedly touched his red bandana around his neck. Carbine had given him that years ago and he had been wearing that ever since. It had served as a reminder of her even if they were far-apart. And they had been far apart. Three years. He had been three years on Earth while she had stayed on Mars. He had been fighting the Plutarkians with his bros on Earth while she had been enjoying her life as a respected Army officer of one of the highest ranks on Mars. After the war had been won on Mars, after the Plutarkians had all left... She had been helping, with the Army to rebuild their home planet. And Throttle would have given anything for the possibility to have been there, with her, to rebuild the planet too. And now he was here, and things had taken a darker turn the second he had stepped on their home planet again with his bros. Mars' new government was as bad and corrupted as the last one, he could tell, and Throttle knew there had to be some connections still to the rotten government who had sold the planet to Plutark in the first place. Throttle knew that there had to be some familiar faces behind all this.

Throttle knew also that there had to be answers to all the questions. Why would the new government want to get rid of the Freedom Fighters and all the ones who were or still are connected to them? And why they so desperately wanted to get their hands on this new technology, the mind control machine, that had been built and kept in the Research Centre (before Rimfire stole it from there and brought it to the Fighters' new Headquarters). Who actually were in charge up there? What did they want?

Throttle briefly closed his eyes and his mind wandered back to Carbine. He could see her in his mind. Her long black hair, her eyes that were always so full of life, so full of passion, for she had always been very passionated about the things she believed in. She was a person who would never betray her own believes.

During the three years they had been apart, they had both felt like their relationship had been put on hold... They had seen only a handful of times, and their calls had turned out to be more professional as the time went by. But still after everything, Carbine was the one he would ever think about. She still was the love of his life. There had never being anyone but her. That's why it had felt odd to see this increasing gap between them during the last years... She had been part of his life so long he could remember as they had met even before he had joined the Freedom Fighters at the age of 17. She had called him crazy and joined the Army. She had stated that being a Fighter was not a job but an attitude problem. But even if they had their differencies or maybe because of it... They had been drawn to each other like two magnets. Throttle had never had good relations with his family, he had always felt himself as an outsider with his beliefs, so Carbine had in a way also replaced his family, she had been there for him, she had believed in him and trusted him. She was his home.

"Okay Fighters...!" Stoker's voice woke him up from his daydreaming and Throttle glanced at the older Fighter's way. From this angle it looked like Stoker had never gotten old. Throttle remembered all those pictures of their leader he had seen on the newspapers when he was growing up. The pictures of the rebellious anarchist, the one who was not afraid to stand up, the hero of all the young rebel souls. Stoker had been the face of the Freedom Fighters, the only known Fighter whereas it had stayed as a secret, a dark veil, who the others fighting by his side had been. Until now. Now all of their faces had been printed and spread via the newspapers.

Throttle observed Stoker's hand as it got up.

"We're entering the city...right...about...now!"

And they all drove under the big gate made out of stones and bricks as the morning's first sunrays glimmered on the letters that spelled "Brimstone City".


	11. Chapter 11: Brimstone City

_Hey you guys!_

_So, like I already told you, I was already writing the next chapter before uploading the chapter 10 here so I was able to upload this next chapter here faster..._

_Anyway, thank you all who have been reading and reviewing, means a lot!_

_Feel free to leave a comment after reading, I always love love love to read what you guys are thinking about this story._

_And on with the show!_

_Here's chapter 11,_

_enjoy!_

_-SpaceFlora_

_p.s. again, just to be clear, English is not my first language so even though I aim and try to correct all the misspellings... There still can be and surely is some errors, sorry about those, I usually correct these errors even after uploading the chapter here... It just feels like no matter how many times one is reading and re-reading the lines there always hides some errors... _

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 11**

**Brimstone City**

If the Freedom Fighters had being visiting the city for any other reason they would've slowed down considerably, as it was a residental area but as they were having a trip of business and not of pleasure they merely sped up as they drove past the houses carved inside the big rocks, the taller buildings made out of steel and the market places where the sellers were setting up their stalls. The Fighters were fully aware that the citizens would recognize them as soon as they would lay their eyes on them and that someone, who might be more sympathetic towards the Army and the government, would end up informing the Army about the Fighters and they would have unwanted company in no time. So, they drove as fast as it was wise in the residental district, which was pretty fast considering the fact that the Fighters were very talented bikers who also trusted their skills.

At this hour of the morning there weren't too many mice roaming around but everyone who caught the deep and loud thundering of the bikes, dropped whatever they were carrying at the moment as well as their jaws while seeing and recognizing immidiately the raggety bunch of bikers as the famous rebels. Considering the fact that the war had ended and that noone had seen a Fighter in a long time, the citizens had to shake their heads and rub their eyes in disbelief. Why it seemed that the Martian Resistance was active again and what they were doing in the city?

Every Fighter had to admit that being here, in the city, was a nice break from their lives inside the Headquarters. To see these other mice, living their ordinary lives... It reminded them why they were doing what they did even though it also gave them the feeling of sadness in a way too since they were not able to actually live a normal life themselves. They couldn't build a house, go to the market to buy food or take their kids to school. They were outlaws and they had been outlaws for many years. And now that they've become active again, they would spend their days inside their Headquarters, packed inside the four walls, with the same people, every single day. Maybe that is why they so anxiously always waited for some action to happen. Maybe the action and fighting were actually the things that kept them sane...

As they drove past more mice and buildings, they suddenly heard a familiar sound, the sound of the Army siren and as they gave a quick glance behind them they could spot two Army motorcycles speeding up after them.

Throttle only gave a slight huff while seeing the two soldiers tailing them.

"Well, fellows, the Army got a whiff of us!"

"No wonder, we really should shower more often..." Rimfire thought out loud as he sniffed his shirt while driving behind Throttle.

"Vinnie and Raleigh, you're ready?" Stoker asked through the helmet's radio, driving in the lead. He gave a quick look via the sidemirror to barely spot Vinnie and Raleigh who were already in their positions, riding last in this long line of bikers.

"Ready, coach!" Raleigh informed.

"Yeah, we're ready to drop some bombs!" Vinnie cheered alongside, banging his fist in the air.

"Oh, yeah, hate to be a killjoy here, but you can't drop bombs or use guns around here...This is a town full of civilians after all..." Stoker's voice stated.

"Say what?! No bombs or guns?! Man, and just when I thought to have some fun...!"

"You can have fun without the weapons, too, Vinnie..." Throttle chuckled. Vinnie snorted but his mood changed from moody to cheery in a split of a second.

"Well, your choice, bros...! This mouse can get creative!"

"Do we want him to get creative, Stoke? We usually can't even trust him with the coloured pencils..." Throttle joked while giving Stoker a glance who only shrugged his shoulders back, not looking too concerned.

"As long as it doesn't mean that they're leaving the city as a burnt down crater, I'm fine with it...Okay, Fighters and Rebels! Let's vanish!"

And the Fighters and the rebel rats all suddenly scattered and when the Army got to the very place, the two soldiers had to stop their bikes and as they looked around, they did not hear a sound and couldn't detect which way they all had gone. As they were to start the engines of the bikes again and just drive into any direction to maybe possibly get a glimpse on a Fighter again, the soldiers heard a whistle and looked up. They saw two bikers looking at them on top of one of the taller buildings close by, across this little town square, waving at them.

"Yoohoooo!" Vinnie waved teasingly to the soldiers.

"Lookie here, Army schmucks!" Raleigh hollored beside Vinnie.

"_This is the Army! Raise your hands and surrender yourselves!" _The other soldier spoke to his megaphone and that attracted more mice to come closer and witness the situation, which didn't seem to bother Vinnie nor Raleigh who only sat on their bikes in a relaxed manner, looking down at the waking city.

"Surrender ourselves? Ahahahaa! Man, gotta love the good ol' Army humour!" Vinnie laughed and Raleigh joined in, both revving their bikes, but still staying put, to give more time for the others to get as far as they can.

"_Stop the engines, raise your hands and surrender yourselves immidiately! You're trespassing the city and the Mouse Territory as outlaws and we have a warrant to place you under arrest as traitors of the government!"_

"Autsch! Talkin' about a warm welcome..." Vinnie snorted, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, jumpin' to conclusions much?" Raleigh chuckled.

"We're only ordinary citizens who came to do some grocery shoppin'!"

"Yeah, we ran out of stuff..."

"Like sand potatoes..."

"...sugar..."

"...beer!"

"...engine oil..."

"...hair conditioner!"

Vinnie and Raleigh both listed things that popped into their heads, snickering.

"_Surrender yourselves now or we are forced to use drastic measures...!"_ The megaphone echoed in this little town square, the voice not a least bit amused by their act.

"Uh-oh...We made them to consider the drastic measures, bro..." Raleigh chuckled, leaning against the forks of his bike.

"You're gonna throw us with that megaphone of yours?!" Vinnie joked back at the soldiers who only shared a confused look, it seemed that they were not trained for this kind of response from the criminals' or enemies' part. Then the other one took the radio and talked to it.

"This is 04, where's the back-up? We've got two of them encircled here...Over."

Vinnie and Raleigh looked around them raising their eyebrows.

"Encircled?" They silently mouthed the words, looking at each others amused. They could if they wanted to drive away from the scene and the two soldiers wouldn't be able to do anything about it. They started to laugh again.

"_We're there in thirty seconds. Keep them there! You see the others? Over."_

"Negative, sir. Over."

"_Well, they can't hide. There are mice here everywhere, eyes everywhere...We'll search the whole city if necessary. Over."_

The soldier was to comment further but a revving sound made him to look at the two Fighters again.

"Heeyy! Sorry, are we boring you?" Raleigh asked.

"Well, maybe this will catch your attention...!" Vinnie said and suddenly grabbed a hand grenade from somewhere and started to casually throw it in the air with only one hand which made the soldiers, the audience as well as his comrade alarmed.

"What are you doing?!" Raleigh hissed through his teeth.

"Stoke said no guns!"

"He said we're not allowed to use guns, but he didn't say we couldn't play with them..." Vinnie announced, with a little cheeky voice.

"Right... And what happens when the Army figures out that we're only bluffing?" Raleigh asked with a silent voice.

"Well, let's find out...!" Vinnie chuckled and took the cotter pin out of the grenade and threw that towards the soldiers who immidiately threw themselves off the bikes and covered their heads with their arms, followed by the citizens who did exactly the same.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?! God damn maniac!" Raleigh was to rev his bike and drive to save the citizens but Vinnie put his hand on his shoulder.

"Look!"

And Raleigh had just enough time to turn quickly his head to the grenade now lying on the ground next to the Army bikes when it suddenly popped open and a thick cloud of smoke rapidly filled the area.

"It's a smoke bomb!" Vinnie explained cheerfully to his comrade who visibly relaxed again.

"Deimos, you nearly gave me a heart attack..." Raleigh muttered.

"Hey, welcome to play in the big boys' league! Where the stakes are higher and the heroes cooler!" Vinnie patted his comrade on his shoulder as he closed his visor.

"C'mon, let's hit the road before the smoke evaporates!"

Raleigh closed his visor as well but then heard some rumbling sound coming near them and looked over his shoulder and raised his look to the sky.

"Well, does the big boy have any tricks on his sleeve for these guys?"

Vinnie looked behind him and saw three Army choppers flying fast towards them and he immidiately got more hyped up.

"Aoowhoooo! That's more like it!"

"You take this as a good sign?" Raleigh dryly asked.

"Hey, this star needs his audience!" Vinnie pointed at himself.

"Well, let's give them a show then, hu?" Raleigh smirked as they revved their bikes and jumped off the roof and sped up, racing the narrow streets of the city, three choppers flying behind them. Suddenly the choppers started to fire them and Vinnie and Raleigh barely were able to swerve the fire as there wasn't really that much room to do so in the narrow streets.

"No fair! The Army can use guns but we can't?! I object!" Vinnie cried out as he jumped over one market stall.

"Noone should use guns around here! This is a residental district! There are mice that could get hurt!" Raleigh got worried as he made another quick move to escape the fire.

"Hmm...I say you're right...C'mon, let's take this show on the road!" Vinnie said and they sped up, driving back towards the desert.

"Oh, great, open spaces... I was afraid that you would make this too easy for the Army snipers..." Raleigh muttered.

"Oh relax, bro, these guys won't hit the target even if it stood at the end of the barrel... They can't just match with the greatest!" Vinnie boasted.

"_Stop the bikes immidiately and surrender yourselves!"_ The megaphone started to shout again as they reached the desert and the choppers casted their shadows over them.

"Change the record already, boys! Frankly it's gettin' boring..." Raleigh shouted and he turned up the volume of the heavy music they were listening to. As they were a safe distance away from the city they turned their bikes around and faced the choppers.

"Yeah, all talk no play makes this mouse an impatient mouse!" Vinnie's voice hollored as they turned their bikes around to face the choppers and started to fire them back but as the choppers answered their fire, they had to sped up again and race the desert sand in the morning light, feeling the adrenaline burning in their veins as they could hear the choppers getting more near by the second.

"Admit it, bro, you only took the choppers out here so you could use guns again!"

"Heyy... I only care for the safety of the citizens! You know me, I'm all about compassion!" Vinnie cheered and then grabbed two guns from his leg holsters and spun them around his trigger fingers before turning his bike to face the choppers again and fired.

"Here's some breakfast, hope it's not too hot! Ahahahaah! Man, this is life!"

Raleigh only snorted back but then saw something glimmering in the distance and zoomed in with the visor's technology to see who was coming. As the image got from blurry to focused he could see what looked like an entire Army of sandraiders.

"That's enough audience for you King Bloated Head?" Raleigh asked pointing towards the direction the sand raiders were coming.

"Hm, you're just jealous 'cause I've got fans!" Vinnie snorted and suddenly they heard a missile being launched from far away and flying towards them and it exploded near them, making the red sand to wave like the ocean, tiny rocks flying at them.

"Well, I guess they remember you alright...!" Raleigh chuckled.

"I always aim to leave an impression!" Vinnie looked at his own reflection via the sidemirror and gave himself a good wide grin before concentrating again to shoot the Army back.

"C'mon, bro! Let's show these rookies how a real Fighter fights!" Vinnie cried his voice getting a bit raspy and they high-fived with Raleigh before they diverged left and right.

"Why are the sand raiders nowadays so interested of us...?" Raleigh asked Vinnie via the radio while giving a glance over his left shoulder to see the white furred male racing the sands further away.

"Who cares, man? More target practise for us! Ahahahahah! Come here, you smelly dogs! I have some treats just for you!"

And the desert was soon filled with the sounds of firing and the bright lights of lasers lightened the area.

x

x

Stoker was looking at the spectacle the two males were creating out in the desert from behind a warehouse. He huffed and then turned around to the bunch of Fighters that were all waiting silently behind the warehouse as well. They had gotten safely and unnoticed out of the city as the warehouse was situated a little further away from the city and closer to Mount Olympus.

"Our boys are having some fun out there..." Stoker chuckled but then turned to his other side where stood a couple of citizens, an older man and a younger male, both dressed in the more traditional Martian clothing, in plain and somewhat loose-fitted pants and a shirt.

"Thanks for the cover, citizens...And sorry for the wake..." Stoker nodded at them.

"That's okay, always glad to help out the Fighters." The younger male nodded at them and then curiously gave the Fighters a look. The Fighters were not hard to spot from a normal crowd since instead of the traditional loose-fitted clothes, the Fighters were usually dressed in camo pants or tight biker jeans and as the ordinary citizens were far more modest in their clothing and not really showing too much skin, the Fighters gladly forgot their shirts under their vests and showed off their well-built bodies. They had holsters around their thighs and chest, they were armed and had rivets, chains, piercings and tattoos. They were looking like rock stars. Rock stars that were armed to the teeth that is... The young male then changed his look on Maico, the only female Fighter in the group, who was dressed in the low-waisted camos and black sports bra, revealing her lean but muscular abdomen. The male cleared his throat and changed his look back on Stoker.

"So...Your next shipment will be ready in two weeks, sir..."

"Oh, no need to call me sir... I'm one of you, only doing my duty as a citizen." Stoker smirked and gave also his crew a look, looking proud of this bunch of rebels. He met Throttle's eyes.

"Shipment?" Throttle asked, keeping his voice silent.

"Oh, yeah, these are just some of the folks who are keeping our ammo and food supplies well-stocked." Stoker nodded towards the citizens.

"So, smugglers?" Throttle asked again but before Stoker could answer, Haden got excited.

"Oh, are you taking requests? I'd love to have something to eat that doesn't taste as cardboard, I'm so sick and tired with the protein bars...!"

Stoker slapped him in the back of his head.

"This is not a restaurant! And show some respect for these kind-hearted mice who keep you fed!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to be disrespectful...Only askin'..." Haden muttered while stroking the back of his head.

The older male looked towards the city and then nodded.

"It looks like your friends have managed to lure the Army out of the city... Your coast looks clear..."

"One chopper still flies around the city, though..." The younger male pointed at the one machine still trying to find the rest of the Fighters.

"That's okay...It'll soon have a smokin' distraction..." Stoker said and gave Maico a look who took a little device from the pocket of her vest and pressed a button and soon they could see some smoke in the distance, coming inside one of the larger buildings in the city and the chopper immidiately started to fly to that direction, shouting orders through the megaphones as they clearly thought the Fighters would be inside the building.

"Oh, Army... They've still got so much to learn..." Stoker sighed and gave the two citizens a look.

"Thanks again."

"Not a problem, if you need help, just call!" The older male nodded back but even though he was very curious to know what the Fighters were doing in the city and why they were trying to get to Mount Olympus, he kept his mouth shut as he knew, they would not get the answers. It wasn't about the trust, it was about the citizens' own safety.

Stoker turned to the dozen of Fighters as the rats had already driven to the Mount Olympus as it had been thought to be wise to go there in two groups.

"Okay, let's take this field trip to the mountains!"

And they revved their bikes and gunned down the small desert area between the city and the large mountain which looked like falling over them as it was so large from this point of view it covered half of the sky.

x

x

Harley was using a straw while drinking her protein shake as she walked towards the infirmary. She heard a whistle coming from somewhere and as she turned her head she noticed Major Rig who was still lying on the hospital bed, tied up and for reasons unknown to Harley, the bed had been rolled outside the infirmary. Harley wore the dirty workpants and a tight white top that revealed her curves and some cleaveage. It was no secret that Harley was a knock-out who always made the men's heads turn.

"Hey, gorgeous!" She heard Rig to hollor after her.

"Hey, limpy leg!" Harley answered without giving the man another look as she stepped inside the infirmary. She noticed the two females hurrying around the room, gathering equiments ready. Harley leaned against the doorframe and watched the scene. Aprilia looked still a little pale but she managed to walk without feeling any dizzyness. Harley had heard from the others that Aprilia had actually mindwalked and she knew it could take a lot of energy to do so... The Martian mechanic frowned a bit while carefully watching her friend but changed her look to the Earthling who was asking Aprilia about some of the medical stuff. Harley took another slurp through the straw and the sound got the both females alerted and they gave her a look.

"Hey, Harley! Where have you been hiding?" Aprilia asked.

"Oh, around..." Harley only stated with a shrug of shoulders.

"You really have fortified yourself to that garage ever since the rats came here..." Aprilia talked and gave her friend a careful look.

"Yeah, well, I'm not too keen on their company..." Harley leaned on the doorframe and looked around the facilities.

"I think these rats seemed okay..." Charley blurted while going through some medical stuff and Harley's eyes fixed on the Earthling's back. Aprilia saw the glance and cleared her throat.

"Well, anyway...!" The small blonde female tried to hurry and think of another subject that wouldn't be so touchy.

"And, what do you know about the rats if you don't mind me askin'?" Harley's eyes narrowed and Aprilia closed her own ones. Too late.

Charley was a bit taken back while hearing the tone in her voice and she turned around to see Harley's challenging look.

"Well, nothing really... But these guys who came here seemed okay to me...And Stoker seems to trust them..."

"Yes, he has to trust them because we're so out-numbered. Trust me, honey, if there would be more of us he wouldn't have even considered to take their offer to help us. He's just desperate."

Aprilia raised her look to watch her friend who had her arms crossed over her chest, but not in a relaxed way but in more of a defense-style. Clearly the topic had triggered some of her traumas. She would never speak like that about Stoker or anyone else she cared about but right now it seemed that her only mission was to be right and cover her hurt. Just another broken soul around here. And when it came to Harley, Aprilia knew she would never admit that herself. The Fighters were soft compared to their mechanic.

Charley just stared at Harley, a mouse she had come to know through the numerous stories and memories her guys had shared with her but whom she had just recently met in real life. And who had turned out be alive after all, after all the years... If Charley was completely honest, meeting Harley had been a bit of a shock and it had stirred some feelings inside her which she didn't want to explore further...And she would have lied if she had said that she hadn't felt the attention lingering between them two ever since they had met.

"I'm sorry if I said something to upset you..." Charley opened her mouth, but felt that her voice was tight.

"Well, you're not from here... I guess it's okay for you to be a bit ignorant..." Harley only remarked, clearly intentionally provoking. Like she many times was and lately increasingly so.

Right now, while looking into those deep blue eyes that were staring back at her defiantly, Charley didn't know what to say to her. Luckily she didn't have to come up with something that would have propably just taken things to worse as Aprilia suddenly laid her hand on Harley's arm.

"Harley! Let's go to make tea!"

Harley glanced at her way and seemed to relax a bit and she nodded back.

"Okay, sounds good. Even if I feel like I'm being chased away...Let's go..." She muttered and turned her back to Charley and disappeared from the infirmary, leaving Aprilia to stand there looking after her. Aprilia gave a deep sigh and she turned to Charley who was still silently staring after the ginger furred female, not really sure what had just happened.

"Sorry...She's just..." Aprilia tried to come up with something but Charley only nodded back.

"I know." She concluded and Aprilia gave a smile back.

"You want to come to have tea with us, too?"

"Nah, I'm good... I think I'm gonna go and try to catch some sleep... I mean you guys seem to be okay with being awake 48 hours or so but I'm about to collapse..." Charley talked and Aprilia only nodded back with a warm smile.

"Okay, well we see us later then...And thanks for your help. It really was nice of you..." Aprilia said and then left the infirmary and Charley sighed, sitting down on a near-by chair and she felt how the feeling of unease swiped through her. She suddenly felt a tear escaping her eye and she had to touch her wet cheek to fully realize that she was actually crying. Why she was crying? She hardly never cried. She felt a few tears escaping her eyes again and she let them run down her cheeks and fall to the stone floor, landing between her boots. She looked around. Maybe she was just tired... She had been awake quite a long time now... But it just felt that there was more to it. Maybe more than she was willing to admit to herself. She had had this weird sensation inside her for a few days. It was like something coiling inside her, hurting her from the inside. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, breathing in again.

_"You're not from here..." _Harley's words echoed inside her mind. Why they rang in her head? Was it that Harley had hurt her? No, Charley knew that she was much stronger than that, she would not be bullied... But those words had triggered something inside her. Some thoughts that had been locked away for she did not want to believe they could be true. But she couldn't keep them locked inside her anymore, it hurt and unabled her to function. But it also hurt to think that those thoughts would be how she truly felt. That they would be true.

That she couldn't do this. This was all crazy. This was not working. She had wanted this to work so much that she had pushed every warning sign aside, not thinking straight. Because she loved Vinnie so much... She felt safe with him, she felt like she was home when she was with him. But maybe that wasn't enough for her to leave her entire planet behind, her friends and what was left of her family...How on Earth had she ever thought that this could work? They were different after all. She could never be a Martian. She didn't have those antennae of theirs, she couldn't mindwalk, she couldn't transfer her memories to another person, she couldn't feel their emotions just by touch... She would never be able to give him what he needed and what was only fair for him to get.

Charley knew that seeing Harley had made her feel insecure and it had strengthen her doubts... But this was not about Harley. This was about her being stupid and naive thinking that an Earthling could live on Mars. Charley let out a sigh.

She would have to leave. As soon as she would know Modo was safe, she would have to leave.

x

x

The Fighters were driving towards the Mount Olympus and only a bigger boulder was separating them and the mountain. As the Fighters started to circle the boulder they suddenly saw a group of Army soldiers appearing behind it, aiming their guns at them.

Stoker and the rest of the Fighters were caught by surprise and they all hit the brakes and stopped their bikes, infront of the troops.

"Well, I guess the Army has learned a few new tricks after all..." Stoker sighed opening up his visor as a taller white furred male stepped infront of him, wearing the Army Lieutenant uniform.

"Just like you guys should learn that there's a difference between being a rebel or a criminal..."

"Yeah? Well, guess how many differences there are between a soldier and a criminal? None." Stoker replied dryly. Rimfire looked behind the other Fighters and then took off his helmet and stood up.

"Radius?"

The white furred Lieutenant raised his look.

"Rimfire?!" Radius looked like taken aback while seeing his stepson with the bunch of Fighters but he quickly recovered from this and only shook his head, looking irritated.

"Should've known that Modo wouldn't be able to get the boy out..." He muttered but then gave Rimfire another look.

"You! You come with me while we're arresting the others for trespassing the city!" Radius raised his voice but Rimfire took another step forward and the soldiers behind Radius took a step forward as well, still pointing their guns at the Fighters.

"No! Uncle Modo's in trouble and we have to find him!"

"Trouble? Do you know in how much trouble you are at the moment yourself?!" Radius roared, sounding angry as hell, but Rimfire was not impressed.

"Did you not hear me?! Uncle Modo's hurt and he needs our help!"

"Rimfire, you're in great danger...!"

"He's hurt! We have to go!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

"Shoot me if you have to but I'm going!" Rimfire took another step forward, now standing face to face with his stepdad, Rimfire being as tall as Radius, or possibly even a bit taller.

"Rimfire..." Radius started.

"Family always sticks together." Rimfire said with more weight in every word.

They suddenly both heard a clicking sound as the soldiers were ready to shoot if ordered. Radius turned around and grabbed the gun from one of the soldiers.

"This is my son! How dare you to point your guns at him!"

The soldiers looked a bit baffled and only shared looks with each others. Radius closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. There was a silence as the soldiers as well the Fighters were all silently staring at the little family drama happening just before their eyes, no one really wanting to step in for their own safety. Radius then nodded and gave his troops a look.

"Dismiss."

"But, sir..."

"Dismiss!"

The soldiers changed looks with each others and then mounted their bikes and drove off, looking still a bit uncertain.

"You know where he is?" Radius asked Stoker, who nodded, looking a bit surprised how this little meeting had evolved and he usually wasn't easily stupefied.

"We know Modo and this other bloke are somewhere inside Mount Olympus..." He intentionally left out the fact that this "other bloke" was a rat.

Radius looked pondering and placed his hands on his hips, then turning his look towards the city, like searching for something.

"They're gonna be here any minute now, The Army...My troops have surely informed about you." He then concluded and gave Stoker a look.

"You better go fast..."

Rimfire met his stepdad's eyes but Radius turned his look on Stoker.

"You keep my son safe. And find my brother-in-law."

Stoker nodded back and then gave the Fighters a look. He showed them a sign to continue.

"Fighters! Let's kick it!"

The bikes roared into movement and they sped up and continued their ride towards the colossal mountain. Rimfire left behind and gave Radius a look.

"Thank you."

"Be safe, son... Here..." Radius gave Rimfire a walky-talkie.

"I'll inform you guys the safest route back... to where ever it is you guys came from..."

Rimfire sat back on the saddle of his bike but gave his stepdad another look.

"What happens to you?"

"Don't worry about me. Now go." Radius turned around to walk over to his own bike, a sign that the talk was over. The young male gave this fleeting figure a last look but then started his bike and sped up after the others.


	12. Chapter 12: Scars and Birds

_Hello my lovely readers!_

_I'm back, sorry for the little wait..._

_I'm aware that these little pauses might be effecting the reading experience but hopefully I'll be able to write in a more steadier pace, and faster too... Sometimes just life gets in the way and there are things that need my attention that unables me to write so..._

_But thanks so much for the reviews and the private messages and also a big thanks to all the silent readers as well although I would really hope that you'll be able to write a line or two after reading the story since it gives me so much to hear from you guys!_

_Anyway..._

_Here's chapter 12, _

_enjoy!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 12**

**Scars and Birds**

"So, what's your problem?" Aprilia asked as soon as they had entered the kitchen with Harley. Harley only walked over the stove and put the kettle on.

"I do not have a problem..."

"No? Why did you attack Charley like that?"

"I did not attack her... C'mon, that was nothing. I only asked her a simple question..."

"She's a kind person, there was no need for you to treat her like that!"

"I did not do anything!"

"You upset her!"

"She can't be that easily scared..." Harley only muttered back. Aprilia crossed her arms and turned to lean against the cupboards.

"I just think that behaviour was uncalled for..."

"You're on her side now?" Harley snorted.

"What side?! There are no sides inside the Headquarters, you know that!" Aprilia raised her voice.

Harley gave her a glance under her brows, having her arms crossed over her chest too, silently and slowly swaying back and forth before giving a sigh and looking around the kitchen.

"So, okay, maybe I am a bit uptight at the moment..."

Aprilia gave her a glance and her face became softer.

"So, what's going on?" The light brown coloured female asked carefully and Harley stared at the kettle, frowning a bit.

"I guess I'm just a little jumpy for having those rats around...I don't trust them..." Harley started and it looked like she wanted to add something but she instead closed her mouth.

Aprilia nodded, changing her look away. The kettle started to simmer louder.

"You know, if you sometimes want someone to talk to... I'm here for you." Aprilia gave Harley a look and their eyes met but Harley quickly changed her look back on the kettle.

"Sure, thanks..." She only vaguely answered and Aprilia didn't really know why but she somehow felt offended by how Harley was acting at the moment. Sure they hand't been maybe the besties while living in the Headquarters during the war but they had become close nonetheless. They had shared stories and tears and laughter. They had gone through together so much, together with the rest of the Fighters, so Aprilia did think Harley a good friend and in a way, she was like a sister to her. So for Harley to act like she didn't want to share things with Aprilia, well, it felt a bit hurtful, since she knew that the ginger furred mechanic did have some heavy secrets that she had buried deep inside her. Aprilia bit her lower lip and decided that maybe she was overacting herself at the moment as well, since they had not been getting too much sleep during the last 48 hours, maybe she was just tired and couldn't think straight herself, so she decided to let this go.

Harley gave the small blonde female a look, the doctor seemed to be lost in her thoughts at the moment.

"You're okay?"

"Yes." Aprilia nodded quietly but then gave out a sigh.

"No..." And she only shook her head.

"I don't know." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling how the worry started to tremble inside her again.

"I'm just waiting to hear from Stoker and Throttle, they promised to inform me as soon as they find them..."

"And they will find them." Harley took a step closer to her friend.

"Yeah." Aprilia nodded back, with a tiny smile but it didn't fool Harley.

"They will find them." She put more weight to her words and Aprilia raised her look on her.

"I'm just scared." She then whispered and Harley sighed and walked over to her and put her arms around the shorter female.

"Come here, little one..."

Aprilia wrapped her arms around Harley as well and closed her eyes, breathing in her scent. Mostly it was motor oil. With a hint of lemon. She easily noticed just how quickly Harley seemed to relax now that they were not focusing on her issues anymore but Aprilia pushed those thoughts aside. Harley was not the one who could be forced to talk, she was stubborn as the best of them. Time was her only persuader.

"...my stomach hurts, I'm just so worried about him..." Aprilia said quietly.

"I know..." Harley talked and stroked her blonde hair and then put her hands around Aprilia's round face.

"But you felt him, he is alive."

"What if he's not okay?" Aprilia's voice was shaking a bit.

"He'll be alright. I mean c'mon, that's Modo we're talking about here... I once witnessed the guy been hit by a truck and he walked away from it with only a couple of bruises...Come to think of it the truck suffered more damage..." Harley tried to lift the mood and Aprilia gave a dry chuckle as a reward for her attempt. She tried to steady her racing heart but it was difficult, if only Stoker and Throttle would contact her soon...

Harley smiled back and then nodded and turned to take the kettle off the stove.

"C'mon, let's have some tea."

She poured freshly boiled water into two mugs and as she was to take the mugs to the table she accidentally splashed some hot tea on her and instead of crying out of pain she only bit her tongue, closing her eyes, feeling the hot water burning a small area of her stomach but quickly recovered and put the mugs on the nearest table and muttered something while taking a hold of the hem of her white top and raised the fabric so the skin underneath could breathe and get cooler.

"You're okay? Did you burn yourself badly?" Aprilia asked with a worried look, taking steps closer.

"Yeah, I'm fine, only a mild burn...I'll live..." Harley talked and rolled the hem of the top up, to let the air cool the burn but suddenly like remembering something, just when Aprilia got a glimpse on her now revealed bare stomach Harley quickly pulled down the top to cover her belly again but no matter how fast she would've been, it couldn't have tricked Aprilia's trained doctor's eyes to be mistaken of what she had just seen. Aprilia was still staring at her now covered belly but then raised her questioning and a bit dumbfounded look to her friend who was now trying to avoid having an eye contact with the small doctor all together.

"You've had a C-section done?" Aprilia asked but the moment their eyes met and when Aprilia could detect the scared look on the mechanic's eyes, they heard someone to enter the kitchen and saw Mina walking in but stopping as she saw them two standing there, beside the stove, looking awkward and frozen.

"Sorry, did I interrupt...?" Mina was to ask but already had to step aside as Harley hurried out of the kitchen.

"...something...?" Mina only concluded and gave Aprilia a look. The blonde haired doctor only shook her head, trying to cover from her dumbfoundness.

"No...We were just..." She sighed and gave the white-haired female a friendly smile.

"Do you want some tea?"

x

x

"Vinnie, Raleigh, what's the status?" Throttle asked via the radio.

"_Well, can't lie, bro, things are gettin' quite hectic around here..."_ Raleigh's voice was to be heard but quickly a voice with a higher pitch entered the radio waves.

"_Hectic schmectic! Things are red-hot and I love it!"_

"_Red-hot meaning that we're about to get our asses kicked!"_

"_Hey, no one kicks this ass! If there's someone who kicks some major butt around here, it's me!"_

"Listen you two... There are no way you can fight against the Army just by yourselves, they'll have more back-up in no time, I'm sure of it..." Throttle started but Raleigh interrupted.

"_Oh, yeah, about that... Turned out that it's not only the Army boys that wanted to ramble with us...The Sand raiders came to party, as well..."_

"Sand raiders?" Throttle repeated and gave Stoker a look. The Fighters had just arrived at the base of the Mount Olympus and met with the rebel rats who were already waiting for them.

_"Oh, who cares! Soldiers or raiders! No one will defeat this intergalactic superhero!"_

"This aint' a joke, Vinnie, you're heavily outnumbered. And I counted all your egos, too... You try to lose the Army troopers and the raiders and drive to some place safe!" Stoker interviened with the radio talk.

"_Some place safe? You want us run with our tails between our legs? No way! This mouse does not run and hide! I would rather die!" _They heard the expected response from their white furred bro.

"Well, too bad for you, rookie, that for some reason I've taken a quite a liking to you, so you'll have to live another day still. Find a way to lose them and stay out of radar! And that's an order!" Stoker talked back.

"_Oh, man... Talking about a major bummer...And just when things were starting to get to the critical point of no return..."_

"Over and out." Stoker said before the white furred daredevil would have something else to add. Stoker gave Throttle a look.

"Well, we really need to get a whiteboard out in some point and try to make some sense of this all... Is there anyone whose not after us?"

"Downsides of being popular, I guess..." Throttle joked. Stoker turned to the bunch of Fighters and Rebels.

"Okay. So, the plan is simple here...We're here to find our two comrades..." The old fighter opened up his visor.

"...and we can assume that they'll be badly injured as well." Throttle said in-between and he saw from the corner of his eyes how a sudden movement of uneasiness went through the old commander's body and as he gave Stoker a look, he could see a hint of sorrow in his eyes but the leader of the Freedom Fighters quickly nodded affirmative.

"Yes. And as we're very likely to find our two comrades somewhere where these golden-billed finches are.. We have to find these birds first."

"We'll follow the birdsong and that'll hopefully lead us to our comrades... Unfortunately there are many tunnels inside the mountain so we have to try to search all of them and for that, we need to split into many teams which is unfortunate considering the fact that there is a chance that Mace is lurking somewhere around with his troops as well..." Throttle concluded, having been taken his helmet off and now scratched his cheek. He gave Stoker a look like wanting him to confirm that that was all and he had not forgotten anything.

"We're ready?" Stoker asked but Rimfire cleared his throat.

"So, about these birds... What do they sound like then?"

"You gotta be kiddin' me..." Haden rolled his eyes.

"Well, excuse me if I studied the future technology instead of some chickens!"

"Finch! It is a finch! And we've got like two breeds of birds left here on Mars. This is not about schools but about common knowledge!" Haden started to sound angry.

"Well, it can't be that common since I don't know about it..." Rimfire answered a bit cheekily.

"Look, kid, let's not even go there..." Haden muttered back.

"Maybe you can tell to the guys what does the bird sound like?" Stoker was tapping his other hand's fingers against the tank of his bike, slowly starting to lose his patience. They had no time to be wasted here.

"Fine..." Haden sighed.

"It goes like this: _ti-thyy-thyy-thiuu_..."

"So..._thiyyy-thuu_..." Rimfire tried to mimick but failed.

"No, _ti-thyy-thyy-thiuu_."

"_Thuuuyyyy..."_

"This is like teaching algebra to the sabre squids..." Haden mumbled but then sighed.

"Okay, the odds are, since there are only two breeds of birds left in Mars that if you're hearing birdsong, it's most likely gonna be the golden-billed finch..."

Maico took her big rifle to her lap and loaded it with an audible sound.

"Okay, let's wrap this up and go! I'm itchin' to let this bike loose so let's go already...!"

Haden only snorted.

"Well, if I may ask politely from all of you that you're not aiming at these birds, okay...? This is a highly endangered species!"

"Sounds delicious, I'm gettin' hungry already!" Maico snickered and Haden only glared at her back but Stoker placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, okay, let's all calm down here... We all promise that we're not gonna endanger this planet any more than it already is, right bros?" Stoker asked and got a choir of cheers back.

"Okay, let's ride, comrades!"

They all revved their bikes and split into seven teams and drove off to find the many entrences that lead inside the massive mountain.

x

x

Aprilia was stirring her tea, deep in her thoughts. It had been already a few hours since the Fighters had left the Next Exit bar, they should be contacting her already... That is if they had found Modo and Simson. Maybe it took so long because they couldn't find them? Maybe they had gotten into trouble as well?

"Are you okay?"

Aprilia startled and gave Mina a look who was sitting across to her, sipping her tea.

"Yes... Yes. I'm okay. I guess I was just...lost in my thoughts..." Aprilia smiled at this slender, tan furred female with white hair, now tied into a tiny ponytail on the back of her head. Mina nodded back and turned her look away, taking another sip of tea.

"I understand. I know what it is like to worry over a loved one, and to not know what has happened to him..." Mina talked and Aprilia nodded slowly.

"Yes... I just hope he's okay..."

"Yeah, me too... Modo's nice. He was nice to me when they found me from the desert Base... I mean, he could've just treated me like a traitor scum and hurt me or just left me there..." Mina talked now a bit more queitly. Aprilia turned her eyes on the white-haired female and a warm smile appeared on her lips.

"Modo's not like that. He never treats others with disrespect."

"I know. He's kind." Mina nodded and her eyes were looking somewhere into the distance.

"Yeah, he is..." Aprilia nearly whispered. She then cleared her voice again, trying to push the worry back.

"So, I didn't know you would stay here... I mean, all the other Fighters left to find them two..."

"Yes they did. But I'm the untrustworthy one, remember? I betrayed the Fighters... hence I can sit here, doing nothing important..."

"Well, I thought that thing got cleared already. I mean, you were forced to betray the Fighters, they took your son..." Aprilia then stopped talking as she saw Mina's look turn sad and she glanced away.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bring up the hurtful memories..."

"That's okay... I just... really miss him. He would be soon five years old. I mean..." Mina gave a sigh.

"He would not even remember me. He would not see me as his mother."

Aprilia took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I think he will. Kids are amazing. And he's your son. You belong together. I hope that you'll find him and you'll be reunited again."

Mina raised her look and met her eyes.

"Thanks." She whispered but she then got up.

"And thanks for the tea and the little chat...It was nice. Not so many nice things had happened to me during the last years, so... Thanks for this." Mina gave a small although now a bit sorrowful smile as she got up.

"Sure. Anytime." Aprilia nodded and then watched as Mina left the kitchen, her steps not really determinated as they were awkward. Mina's whole demeanour resonated with disbelief, like she was walking in the woods, lost.

Aprilia closed her eyes and sighed. She felt tired but she couldn't go to sleep. She had to wait for the others to contact the Headquarters again. Why was this taking so long...? Hopefully they would find Modo and Simson and that they would be okay... During her mindwalk, Modo had been breathing, he was alive... But he had had trouble breathing...Why he had trouble breathing? Did he have water in his lungs? Yes, it had felt like that but there was more...It had felt...

All of a sudden Aprilia felt a twinge on her right side and she let out a cry and pressed her right side of her rib cage, just under her chest. It hurt her lung but this time she could gasp for some air even if it hurt. But it was dark still. She couldn't see around her. Only black.

"Modo!" She let out a cry as this all started to become too much. It was confusing and alarming and she didn't know what it all meant. She desperately tried to see or hear him but there was nothing, only the pain in her rib case.

"Modo!" Her voice got more desperate, a high shriek that could cut through glass.

She felt a pressure around her and with a nearly violent shake she suddenly was back in the eating area again, the dim lighting in there nearly hurting her eyes and she gasped for air, feeling the air going through her lungs and she swallowed thickly and tried to steady her breathing but realised that the pressure was still around her and as she looked up she saw Harley hugging her tightly.

"What's wrong? Aprilia, are you okay?!" The mechanic's eyes were full of terror as she had not been witnessing Aprilia's mindwalk before. Aprilia only felt a massive wave of emotion crashing into her and she started to cry, still in the safety of Harley's arms.

"It's okay, girl... Everything's alright... What was that? Deimos, you scared me to death!" Harley tried to soothe her, caressingly stroking Aprilia's back and her blonde hair.

x

x

Throttle was riding the dark tunnel with Seven and another rat. The inside of the mountain was echoing from the thunder of the bikes and then tunnel was dark and empty and leading deeper and deeper inside the Mount Olympus. The headlights were bouncing off the walls and their shadows were riding along with them, looming around like all the time trying to catch them.

"Okay, let's stop here!" Throttle then announed as they had been riding fifteen minutes straight. They stopped their bikes and opened up their visors and tried to listen.

"You hear something?" Seven asked but the other rat and Throttle only shook their heads.

"Nothing..." Throttle answered and he then pushed the radio button on his helmet.

"This is Throttle, we've been riding fifteen minutes and still hear nothing, not a tweet..."

"_This mountain's so vast it can be that those birds are habiting only one part of it... And since it's a rare bird, there's not too much info on them, no one really knows how they're nesting and all... It can be that they're living quite deep inside these tunnels or..." _Haden's voice came through their radios.

"Or what?" Throttle's voice sounded anxious.

"_Or...You know... I said that people have seeing them around here, it ain't necessarily true._.."

"Okay, well, let's not even think that possibility right now... Let's hope the people have seeing right. We do not have the time to start the search all over again." Throttle muttered.

"Throttle over and out." He then concluded and sighed looking around them in the darkness. Seven gave him a careful look and then scratched his neck.

"Okay... Things might not look great now but... We can't lose hope."

"I'm not losing hope!" Throttle raised his voice and the other rat clearly seemed to get a bit alerted. Seven instead only sat on his bike and looked at the tan furred mouse, observing him.

"I'm sensing that this is not all about the big guy and Simson..." The light brown furred rat talked rather nonchalantly, but casted quick glances towards Throttle who hunched over the bike's handlebars.

"Well, if you really wanna know, you rebel rats caught us Fighters in a very dark time..." Throttle chuckled although he did not look amused. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly before placing the specs back again.

"This is Mars. It never is a good time." Seven only remarked and that got a another chuckle from Throttle who shook his head and then closed his visor again.

"C'mon, let's kick it, the faster we make it to Modo and Simson the faster they can get the help..."

And they revved their bikes again and continued deeper into the mountain.

x

x

"So, just so we're on the same page here..." Raleigh started as they were riding towards the Mount Olympus with Vinnie.

"You think this is what Stoker meant by saying we should get into cover? That we should head to the mountains as well?"

"Well, Stoke didn't tell us to keep out from the mountain either...So I take it as an invitation!" Vinnie answered not really concerned over what Stoker might have or might have not meant with his words. The white furred male pulled the hood of this loose blue kaftan he was wearing to cover better his head.

"And these rags?" Raleigh asked as he was wearing a same kind of outfit only the colour of crimson.

"These are our disguises!" Vinnie only answered like stating the obvious.

"Yeah, we really do blend in with these... Where did you get these anyway?"

"The farmer we encountered gave us these..."

"When?"

"Back when you were attending the little boys' room..." Vinnie snickered.

"This looks like we're on our way to the masquerade..." Raleigh made a remark and heard a snort from his side.

"Oh, you're no fun!"

"I'm just pointing out that you tend to do things in a rather extravagant way..."

"Hello...! Have you not met me? I am Mr. Extravagant! Why do things half-assed when you can do them with style and studliness!"

"We try to escape the attention, not gain it!"

"Well, you put it on as well so why you complaining about it now?" Vinnie muttered.

"Because otherwise it really would have looked weird to see a Fighter and man in a dress riding past like their asses were on fire!"

"It's not a dress! It's a kaftan..." Vinnie said and puffed up his chest, looking proud.

"Whatever it is... It's a healthy risk as well, the tails of these can get trapped between the chains... Not really the safest motorcycling outfit out there, is it...?"

"C'mon! Put some speed into your machine! My bro needs help!"

x

x

Rimfire blinked his eyes to make them see better inside the dark tunnels, but there was nothing. Only these tunnels that seemed like they didn't lead anywhere. Or it seemed that they lead somewhere but it wasn't totally clear what that place should or could be. Many of the tunnels could've been hundreds of years old. And sometimes as they drove past Rimfire could caught a glimpse on some scribblings on the walls, pictures, signs and symbols. It had been and in still was considered a holy place, the Mount Olympus. And it gave everyone a bit uneasy feeling to ride these tunnels. They had a feeling like they shouldn't be here.

"So...You think Mace could really be lurking in here?" Rimfire cleared his throat and asked Stoker who was riding next to him.

"When it comes to Mace, we really don't know anything about him and what he has been doing these past few years... Anything can be possible."

"But to have been hiding here, this close to Brimstone city and inside the Mice territory with some other rats...?" Rimfire asked again and Stoker, without giving him a glance, answered.

"That would not really amaze me..."

"Why do you think we haven't come across him or his troops while riding those tunnels under the desert? I mean, if those tunnels are Mace's kingdom like the rats stated, shouldn't we have seen him already?"

"I think the reason why we haven't seen Mace and his troops is because he does not want us to find him...yet." Stoker talked, sounding like he was contemplating something.

Rimfire only nodded back and gave a look at his radar.

"Well, it looks like we're soon reaching the centre of the mountain..."

"Yeah... And still no sign on our comrades or those damn birds..."

"Well, this is only one of the tunnels, so maybe..." Rimfire was to continue but suddenly something flew towards him and he gave a high shriek and stopped the bike and docked.

"What was that?!" He shouted and looked after where the thing had flown. Stoker chuckled next to him and adjusted the bike's headlamp so it showed more upwards.

"That... Little Miss Rimfire, is the golden-billed finch!"

Rimfire looked up and saw that in the ceiling of the tunnel, there was a small nest and in the nest there was sitting a pink bird with big dark eyes and a golden bill, glaring at them.

"Oh, right...well... you know, got a lil' scared after somethin' unknown flew straight at me... It could have been anythin' you know..."

"...aha..."

"...a missile, a grenade..."

"...but it was a little bird."

"Yeah, well, it just caught me by surprise, 's all..."

"Well, be sure that beast won't be coming back to haunt you in your dreams!"

"Funny..."

"You cried like a princess..."

"It got me off-guard!"

"Sure it did..." Stoker said and kicked started his bike and drove deeper into the tunnel. Rimfire sighed and shook his head before driving after the leader.

Stoker pushed the radio button on his helmet to let everyone using the same frequency hear him talk.

"We found one bird! They seem to be nesting closer to the centre of the mountain!"

"_Gotcha, coach!"_

Stoker gave a look over his shouldr to see Rimfire riding behind him and he snickered.

"But beware of these little critters, one of 'em attacked our Lil' Fire!"

Rimfire gave him a glare but only shook his head. Yeah, this will stick... One slip and you get to hear from it the rest of your life...

"It didn't attack me!" He then defended himself.

"_Oh, so that was the cry... I thought there would be a damsel in distress somewhere...!" _They heard the radio starting to become active with snickering sounds.

"Gotta love this family..." Rimfire muttered.

x

x

Aprilia washed her face with cold water and felt how her face became slightly more awake in an instant. She watched herself via the bathroom mirror and saw her puffy eyes that were due to her excessive crying just moments ago. Well, to be fair, she had been crying more or less the whole 48 hours... She sighed and tapped the dark bags under her eyes. Charming. And to perfect this whole look her blonde hair was still a mess. Like she was herself. A big mess. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Man, if she could've predicted this just a few weeks ago... If she would've known into what mess she would be sticking her spoon in again when seeing Modo in that clear white hallway in the New Research Center. That moment felt like it had started another chapter in her life. Or more likely opened a chapter she had thought would have been all over by now. No, she didn't mean Modo, she had been overwhelmingly happy to see him again after such a long time...

But she had thought that the war had ended. She had thought, like the rest of the Martians, that things were slowly starting to get better. How wrong she had been, how naive... This was Mars after all. The planet of war. It had always been and it seemed that it always will be the planet of war. Right now, it seemed that there was no end to this all. How could even the Fighters make things great again? The whole planet was a mess. Their Martian Council as well as the Mice government were crooked as ever. Nothing had changed.

How distant her previous life felt right now. She was sure that she would not have her job anymore as a doctor doing shifts at the local healthcare centre. She was pretty sure that she would not have her job as a researcher in the New Research Centre, either. And she had really worked hard and studied hard to get where she was. But where was she now? In a bathroom, inside the Headquarters of the Martian Resistance, under the ground, out in the desert, in the no man's land. Life could be funny sometimes. Well, not ha ha funny but...Twisted.

Aprilia looked down at the little sink. There weren't any tap or plumbing since the Martians didn't use water usually (and let's be honest who would've dug a plumbing out here in the desert?), but there was this little jar filled with water next to the sink. For occasions like this. For the occasions where one needed to wake up. A little bit of luxury in the the middle of the chaos.

Aprilia sighed and wiped her face clean with a towel before leaving the bathroom and nearly bumping into Charley.

"Oh, hello... Sorry, nearly hit you with the door..." Aprilia apologized and Charley for some reason seemed to be avoiding her eye contact. Second one to do so today.

"Yeah, uhm.. I was just going to..." Charley said and nodded towards the bathroom.

"Ah, yes, sorry..." Aprilia said and stepped out of the bathroom and let the Earthling use it. Charley was to close the door when the female Martian's voice stopped her.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks." Charley gave a quick smile and closed the door before Aprilia who only raised her eyebrow at this but then continued her way towards her room where Harley was already sitting on the floor, folding clothes. Aprilia gave a dry chuckle while seeing her friend cleaning her room.

"You don't have to organize my stuff...I'm capable of functioning... Despite the meltdown you had to witness previously..."

"Yes, I know I don't need to organize your stuff, your stuff are neatly folded in the closet, most of this stuff belongs to Modo... I thought his mommah had taught him better to not leave his clothes lying around..."

Aprilia gave a warm smile as she sat down on her bed, scratching her scalp underneath her messy blonde hair.

"Well, to be fair, I've ripped half of those off him..."

"Too much info..."

"Sorry." Aprilia gave a light chuckle but then sighed and gave Harley a look. Harley answered the look and she knew exactly what that look was about. No more bullshit. Harley gave a deep sigh and put the folded hoodie inside the closet and sat down on the floor again.

"Yes, I've had a C-section."

Aprilia nodded back, and waited for her to continue but Harley looked around the room like she had no more to say about that.

"Okay, I know you don't want to talk about it... But can I ask you one thing and then that's the end of this discussion and you can talk or not talk about it if you want..." Aprilia started and Harley turned her look to her but then gave a small nod.

"Okay. Ask."

Aprilia felt herself a bit hesitant to ask the question suddenly, when looking into those blue eyes but gathered some courage.

"Is the baby still...alive?" Her voice was a small whisper. She couldn't really read what it was that Harley was thinking at the moment as she had become a master to disguise her feelings it seemed to Aprilia, but their eyes were still looking at each other.

"Yes." Harley answered but then turned away to keep on folding the clothes and Aprilia nodded. That was the end of the discussion. For now.

x

x

x

x

_Okay, that was that... Sorry Modo and Simson still remains unfound but I promise in the next chapter we can hear from those guys again, possibly... :)_

_Feel free to leave a review and thanks for reading, my loyal readers!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	13. Chapter 13: Mace

_Hello!_

_So, surprise...! I managed to upload two chapters in a short period of time... _

_I don't know, I just sat behind my computer and the next chapter kind of like just wrote itself I guess...  
_

_Anyway, reviews are always very welcomed and thanks for Vlaatjee and Margarite987re for the reviews on the last chapter! Warms my heart!_

_Well, here's the next chapter!_

_Enjoy!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 13**

**Mace**

Something didn't add up... Throttle was sure of it. He was sure that they had missed something. It seemed that the Mice government along with Mace and his troops and the Sand raiders all wanted to get rid of the Fighters. But that didn't make sense. Why would have they all joined their forces? And what links did they have to the secret Army division and Major Rig? That division had been active since the days of war so it was older than the current Mice government...Could it be that it was actually the secret Army division that called the shots and gave the Mice government orders and not the other way around? Could the secret division have connections to Mace as well as to Sand raiders? Maybe they all have been working together a long time, even during the war... Mace had been working for the Plutarkians as well but that scum of the Universe had left the planet a few years ago... But what if they never left? What if they were still determinated to get Mars and send it back to Plutark's orbit, as one of its' moons? And maybe, they needed someone here on Mars to handle things and make things happen while they were playing absent and that way calming the Martians down, avoiding the conflicts and then when the time would be right and before the Martians even could rgister what was happening, Mars would be already circling Plutark? Could the secret Army division get their orders from the Plutarkians? And if so, who was the Plutark's so-called trustee on Mars?

Throttle's mind was racing. He started to come to a conclusion that there certainly had to be more, much more than meets the eye in this case...Also, had they considered the fact that their current little mission could have been a trap, to lure them out of their holes? Of course they had to try and save Modo and Simson... But had they just blindly ran to their rescue without thinking all the possibilities? Without thinking this through? Suddenly uneasy feeling caught him and he pulled the brakes.

"Stop!" He ordered and Seven and one of Seven's rat comrades pulled their bikes to a stop and gave him a look.

"What's wrong?" Seven asked a little confused.

"I'm not sure but..." Throttle started and he looked around him, like searching for clues. Seven's comrade heaved a little irritated sigh and gave Seven a look under his brows but this only gave him a sign to take it easy.

"Havin' a bad feeling about this?" Seven asked and Throttle only gave back a little hesitant nod, still trying to wrap his head around this all.

"I just can't help but feel that we're like puppets here...Like someone has masterminded this all to happen for a reason..."

"How so?"

Throttle tried to think but he just couldn't see how to connect all the dots. There was still some pieces missing in the puzzle.

"I don't know... I just think that this is going way too easy... I mean, Aprilia said she had smelled Mace during her mindwalk and you guys told us that those tunnels we have already used many times now are Mace's kingdom..."

"Yeah...?" Seven asked, leaning to his handlebars. Throttle shook his head but then gave him a look.

"Shouldn't we have seeing him by now? Bumped into him and his troops? Why haven't we seen any signs on them?"

"Well... It can be that we've just been lucky...?"

Throttle shook his head again and looked around them in the darkness that only their headlamps pierced.

"I don't think so... There's gotta be more to it."

Seven nodded silently while looking around him as well. All of a sudden, he spotted something in the ceiling.

"What's that?" He asked and all three of them looked up. They saw a tiny red light blinking. Throttle took his hand gun and aimed at the light and fired and soon something dropped on the floor of the tunnel. Seven walked over and picked up the device before he turned around and showed them all what was left of the camera.

"Well, my mouse comrade..." Seven started as he turned the device in his hands and then raised his look to meet Throttle's.

"I guess you're right about your heebie-jeebies... Someone surely is watching us right now..."

As soon as Seven had said that they heard Maico's voice through the radio.

"_We found them! I repeat: we found them!"_

Another voice joined the radio waves.

"_How are they? Are they badly hurt?" _Stoker's voice was filled with worry.

"_Yes, it is bad... They don't respond, they're unconscious, but still alive...We need to get them back to HQ asap!"  
_

"Stay there and send us your coordinates." Throttle joined in the conversation.

"_Already done, bro."_

Throttle sat back on the saddle and Seven did the same.

"Wait! What if you're right and this is a trap?" The other rat asked.

"Then I'd say we've swallowed the hook already... C'mon, let's ride!" Throttle revved his bike and they drove deeper into the tunnels.

x

x

Carbine startled awake and she quickly sat up on her uncomfortable looking bed in her small and empty cell. The hatch on her cell door was opened and a tray was pushed through it. Carbine got on her feet and rushed to get the tray but just as she reached to grab it the hatch went close again. She gave a look at the tray and it contained only a glass of water. An anger went through her whole body and she threw the tray against the wall, broking the glass while at it.

"Hey! You damn cowards!" She banged the cell door with her fists, her voice raspy and breaking.

"I'm not worthy of food anymore?! Hu?!" She banged the door harder.

"This is not how you treat a prisoner! I have my rights!"

She gave up as she couldn't hear anything, no footsteps, no talking, nothing. She sighed and leaned her back against the cold steel door.

"Shit!" She kicked the door with the heel of her boot but calmed down again and turned her eyes to look at the ceiling.

"C'mon, girl...Try to think..." She talked to herself, calming herself down. She closed her eyes and fell to sit on the floor.

"Who is behind all this...? Who's pulling the strings..." She repeated whispering, her lips moving but hardly any voice coming out of her mouth.

She sighed and looked at her hands that were looking dirty since she had not had the permission to use the sonic showers either. She tried to wipe the dirt off her other hand, using the palm of the other one, rubbing maybe a bit too forcefully, her black hair falling to cover half of her face.

"Who are you...?" She whispered again, looking at her hands doing the work, trying to go through in her head the list of everyone she knew.

She got frustrated as it looked like the dirt didn't come off and she gave an angry grunt and banged her back against the door. She took a deep breath.

"Okay, General, you got this. This is not the time and place to go crazy, to lose one's mind...Let's calm down and be cool...Just breath in and breath out... You'll get out of here and then you'll make these guys pay... They'll all pay..." She gritted her teeth but then stopped as she suddenly heard foot steps just behind her cell door and she quickly got on her fours and then up, taking steps backwards as she heard the cell door being opened and soon a splash of light entered the cell.

"I heard you had a complain about your food ratios?" A deep voice asked and Carbine had to squint her eyes against the sudden flash of light.

"Who are you?! Why am I here?! You have no right to arrest me! I am an Army Officer! There will be consequences...!" Carbine's fire inside got flamed up again. She heard only laughter and suddenly that voice seemed familiar to her.

"Who are you?!" Carbine's voice became more demanding. She could hear the footsteps coming closer and as the dark figure stepped infront of the light, she could now see the taller grey furred rat standing infront of her.

"Mace!?"

"Hello, there, General... Nice to meet an old friend..." Mace growled and gave her a crude smile.

x

x

Rimfire had taken the bike to its' limits and it felt to him that the bike hardly touched the ground as he was racing inside the tunnels, keeping a steady eye on the bike's gps system. Just a few more turns... A few more, then they'd meet the others with Stoker who was currently driving in much more slower pace than Rimfire, as he was not anymore the best biker out there after gaining some years. Rimfire could feel his throat becoming dry and he tried to swallow and gave another look at his gps system.

"C'mon, bike..." He muttered under his breath, cursing that too fast was not fast enough. He needed to see Uncle Modo, needed to see with his own eyes that he was alive... That Maico had found him and Simson. Soon he could spot lights ahead and the closer he got he saw that many Fighters and rats were already gathered there, their headlamps of their bikes lighting that part of the tunnel like it was daytime inside the mountain.

Rimfire pulled the bike into a stop with a quick slide and he nearly jumped off the saddle and pushed Fighters and rats aside to finally see this big grey figure lying on the cold ground, his face pale and his vest as well as his left pant leg soaked in blood. Rimfire quickly knelt down beside Modo and gave Throttle a look who was already there, to check Modo's injuries.

"Is it bad?" Rimfire's voice rasped, feeling like his heart would jump out of his chest.

Throttle didn't look at him but gave a nod.

"Yeah... It's pretty bad, we need to get them to the Headquarters before they'll bleed to dead...I think they could be suffering from internal bleedings as well..."

Rimfire quickly ran his eyes on Modo's body again and he saw that someone had wrapped a cloth over Modo's rib cage but it had already turned red from blood. Rimfire touched a bit hesitantly Modo's right side, and felt the warm moist blood smudging his finger tips. His breath hitched but he quickly swallowed and turned to give Modo's face a look.

"Uncle Modo...? Uncle Modo! You hear me?"

"He's unconscious, kid... He can't hear you." Throttle muttered his voice calm but everyone that knew him well could detect this tiny undercurrent in his voice that told that he was actually scared of seeing his bro like this. Rimfire gave him a quick glance but suddenly felt a heavy hand on his shoulder but he didn't need to look up to know that it was Stoker who had just gotten to the scene and hovered over them, silently taking in the scene. Rimfire felt a slight tremble in the old mentor's hand but the sand coloured youngster turned his look back on Throttle.

"Can we move him?"

"I guess we have no choice. We need to get them out of here... And fast."

Rimfire looked over Throttle's shoulder to see the rats hovering over Simson's body, he seemed to be unconscious as well. He noticed that instead of the thick and long rat tail there was now only a stump left and it was wrapped inside a bloody cloth too.

"What on Deimos' name happened to them?" Rimfire asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"A miracle happened to them." Throttle answered as he got up and walked over to his bike and got his radio.

"This is Throttle... Aprilia, are you in there? Come in. Over."

Rimfire turned his look back on Stoker who had now knelt down beside Modo's massive body as well and he watched as the old commander's eyes were wandering on his injured body and then stopping on his right side, eyeing the bloody cloth that was wrapped around his rib cage. Rimfire observed Stoker's look and he could swear he saw remorse in his expression.

The young male turned his look back on his uncle's motionless face and took his flesh hand to his and squeezed it.

"It'll be alright, Uncle Modo... We'll get you help..."

x

x

Aprilia nearly fell over with every obstacle that came into her way as she ran to answer the radio but she managed to grab the little radio device in the end.

"I'm here! Did you find them?! Did you find Modo?!"

"_We found them..." _Throttle's voice spoke in the other end.

Aprilia closed her eyes in relief but her voice broke.

"How are they? Can he talk?"

"_Listen, I'm not gonna lie to you, it's bad..."_

Aprilia's breathing hitched again.

"_They've lost a lot of blood, they're currently unconscious... And I think Modo has broken his..."_

"His right rib?" Aprilia only blurted, remembering her weird pain in her right rib cage area and after a small silence Throttle only concluded.

"_Yeah..."_

"Listen, you can't move his torso, you must keep the torso still, it can be that the broken bones are pointing against his lungs...A little too much pressure and the bone can pierce right through his lungs..."

There was a little silence.

"_I'm not sure we can move them all the way to the Headquarters while they're in that condition..."_

"What do you mean you don't know?! Figure out something!"

Another silence.

"_I am trying to figure out something, Aprilia, trust me...It just can be that the trip back there can be too long and bumpy for them at the moment..."_

A feeling of despair filled Aprilia but then she pressed the button of the radio again.

"Take them to the hospital. I have some friends as doctors there...Just tell them I send you guys."

"_Aprilia, we're wanted men, we can't show our faces in the city! Again..."_

"Well, I guess you just have to!" Aprilia snapped and then scratched her head, trying to think.

"Listen, we can trust these doctors, I'll try to contact them beforehand...Just...Try to act normal and don't make a scene..."

"_To act normal and not to cause a scene... You drive a hard bargain there, babe..."_

"Over and out." Aprilia sounded a little pissed-off and she put the radio away. She then sprang up and went to the nearest vid-com and dialled up the number of one of her doctor friends.

x

x

Carbine gave a grunt as she was pushed to sit down to a chair. She gave a fiery look at Mace who took a chair and sat down himself, brushing off dust of his dark uniform.

"Well, look at you, dressed all sharp... You seem to be doing ok, for a rat..." Carbine snorted her eyes locked on the grey furred rat, who had some scars around his face.

"And you, my General, don't seem to be doing quite so well at the moment..." Mace talked back, looking calm. Carbine looked around the facilites they currently were in. Carbine knew they were still inside the Army Base but she did not remember this exact facility. Well, it was a massive complex, the Army Base, no way she could've known every inch of it anyway...

"Why are you doing this? To whom are you working for?" Carbine snapped and Mace only leaned back on his chair and crossed his leg over the other one.

"I thought you would've figured it out already, with all the time you have had in your hands lately..."

"I've been occupied with other things..." Carbine replied sarcastically and Mace gave a laugh and looked at the two mouse soldiers inside the room that Carbine vaguely remembered by their looks.

Carbine tried to pull her arms free as they were currently tied around her back.

"Is this the part where you're telling me your whole evil plan?" She still tried to free her hands but then gave up and turned her eyes back to Mace again who only gave a silent chuckle and crossed his arms behind his neck.

"I don't think so."

"Well, you're not completely stupid, I see..." Carbine muttered.

Mace was rocking his other foot silently but suddenly he moved forward and grabbed Carbine by her chin and forced her to keep her face steady as he looked into her brown eyes with his own pair of dark ones. His eyes were nearly like two black holes while Carbine could see her own image reflecting from them.

"We'll see who is the stupid one here, General...We'll see who are the survivors and who are not."

"Surviving what?" Carbine asked while trying to free her chin but Mace's grip was too strong.

"The extinction." Mace answered.

"The extinction of what?" Carbine asked again, her voice becoming slightly alerted.

Mace pushed Carbine from her chin and she nearly fell from her chair but managed to keep her balance.

"If you don't know, there's no point in telling you, General..." Mace said and got up, giving the two soldiers a sign.

"Lock her up. She'll deserve what's coming to her."

"Wait..! Come back here!" Carbine shouted after Mace who was gone already but felt the two soldiers grabbing her from both of her arms and lifting her from the chair and dragging the kicking and struggling General back to her cell.

x

x

"Radius, come in! Radius, do you copy?!" Rimfire used the radio Radius had given him that should have been already on the frequence level the Lieutenant was using.

"_I copy, I'm here... What's happening? Are you alright?"_

Rimfire sighed relieved but pushed the button of the radio device again.

"Yes, I'm fine. But Uncle Modo's not... We found them. They're badly hurt. They need to be taken into the hospital."

A little silence before the radio came to alive with a crackle.

"_To the hospital? Are you mad? You can't bring members of the resistance to the hospital. If the Army finds out, they'll come there to arrest all of you!"_

"We talked to Aprilia and she said that she knows a few doctors there and...She said that these doctors could be trusted...And only a couple of us will bring them to the hospital, the others will head back to the Headquarters."

"_Are you sure that plan will work?"_

"No..." Rimfire sighed and looked from a little more further away at the other Fighters and the rebel rats that were getting the two severely hurt rebel soldiers ready to be taken out of the tunnels.

"But it's our only chance..." He added quietly. After a little pause the radio crackled again.

"_I will distract the Army to make sure there'll be no soldiers anywhere near the hospital. But I'd advice you to ditch your bikes, and think of something else... Every citizen knows by now that the Fighters are somewhere near, the bikes will draw immidiate attention."_

Rimfire sighed and turned around to speak more quietly.

"You're sure you wanna do this, Radius? You know they'll try to catch you too, for betraying the Army..."

"_I don't want you to worry about me, son."_

Rimfire bit his lower lip and wrapped his arms around him, mumbling.

"I'm not worried just... I don't know... Thanks for doing this, I know you didn't have to do all this..."

"_I want to do what's right. That's all I've ever wanted to do."_

"I know... Sorry if I've been a bit...doubtful and difficult..."

There was a little silence and Rimfire thought that the line got broken but soon the radio crackled alive again.

"_That's alright, Rimfire... Listen, we'll talk about this later. Now, you need to hurry, okay? I'll distract the Army. Over and out."_

Rimfire sighed and put the radio to hang from his belt and walked over to Throttle who took a few steps forward towards him.

"What did he say?" Throttle asked and Rimfire cleared his throat.

"That he'll distract the Army while we get to the hospital..."

The tan furred male observed the younger male infront of him and then flung his arm around his shoulders.

"He's a brave man. To stand up against the Army like that."

Rimfire nodded back and let his eyes wander to Modo who was still lying motionlessly on the ground.

"How can we even manage to move them to the hospital? We are only having our bikes...?" Rimfire asked but turned his head as they all suddenly heard the sound of the motorcycles getting nearer and all the Fighters and rebel rats automatically grabbed their guns and faced the roaring of the engines before they saw two familiar bikes stopping before them. The bikers were wearing what seemed to be the traditional albeit old-fashioned kaftans of the Martian herders (from the times when there actually was something to herd). Both of the bikers pulled their big hoods down and Vinnie without even giving a victory cry quickly stepped off the bike as he saw his older brother lying on the ground and was to run to Modo, to check that he was okay but Throttle grabbed him by his arm.

"Hey!" Vinnie protested but Throttle shook his head.

"He's out cold... And can't handle your ruff ways of greeting him right now..." Throttle tried to joke while his voice was still stern. Vinnie gave a deep sigh and turned his look back to Modo again. Thousands of questions running through his mind but he only asked one.

"He'll get better?"

"He will. In the end. Right now we need to get them both to the hospital..."

Vinnie was to open his mouth again but Throttle beat him to it.

"Yes, I know, not an ideal solution but the best for now. They need help, and quickly."

Vinnie nodded, if Throttle was sure then he knew that was the safest bet right now. He had total trust over his bro. Vinnie let his eyes wander and they stopped on Stoker who was sitting on a rock, a little further away from the others, looking at his hands, still as the rock he was sitting on.

"What's up with the old geezer?" Vinnie asked and Throttle gave Stoker a quick look and then gave Vinnie's shoulder a light squeeze.

"Guilt. Now, come on, we have to make some kind of stretchers for Modo and Simson..." Throttle then gave Vinnie a curious look.

"What are you wearing?"

Vinnie startled a little and then looked at the colourful kaftan.

"Oh, these... These were just our disguises...You know me, I never say no to a chance to dress cool..."

Throttle shook his head, a tiny smile appearing to his lips but something dawned on him.

"Take it off."

"What? That's no way to talk to your date... Atleast buy me a drink first, sweetheart..." Vinnie chuckled but then remembered the severity of the situation again and cleared his throat, becoming stern he took off the kaftan and gave it to Throttle.

"How fast would you be able to pick a few big branches of trees outside?" The tan furred male asked his younger bro then.

"How fast?" Vinnie snickered.

"Faster than it would take for you to spell "speed of light"...!"

"S-P-E-E..." Throttle started looking him dead in the eye and Vinnie quickly recovered.

"No fair! That was a false start!"

And he hopped on the saddle of his red racer and kicked started it and stepped on the gas so that the back tire nearly spat fire as the red racer gunned off.

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_Well, let's see how fast I can upload the next chapter!_

_Until next time and don't forget to review!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	14. Chapter 14: Enter The Plutarkians

_Hi there!_

_So, for your luck I'm apparently on a roll here...! I don't remember when was the last time I had the time to upload three chapters in a row! Maybe that has never happened..._

_Anyway, I guess it's because I've been writing so much now, so it only gets more clear and I'm more focused... Also I do have this plan in my head so I'm just following that and when I sit down infront of the computer it feels like the chapters are just pouring out of me..._

_I don't know how long this will last though... It can be that the writer's block hits me any time now..._

_Thank you so much to all of you who have been reading this story and a special thank you for my followers and reviewers!  
_

_Vlaatjee: It warms my heart that you take the time to write a review chapter after chapter and tell me about your thoughts! And yes the plot is slowly unravelling here...That is good news since there was a time when I thought that there was no way in hell I'm able to unravel this mess! XD _

_DinoDragonMaster and wolftattoo: thank you for your reviews! I hope in the next chapter(s) you'll get some answers for your questions and inquiries...:)_

_So, again, please enjoy the next chapter and pretty please write a small review afterwards, it really makes me happy to know what you guys think about the story!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 14**

**Enter the Plutarkians**

With the help of a few big branches and Vinnie's and Raleigh's herder kaftans, the Fighters were able to make the stretchers for Simson and Modo. After Vinnie had picked up the branches he sped up towards the city again to search for a bigger vehicle. He found a bright yellow delivery van that stood in the back of the post office. He quickly and skillfully picked the lock and drove off with the van, towards the Mount Olympus.

"C'mon! Taxi's here and the metre is runnin'!" Vinnie cheered via the radio to let the Fighters and the rebel rats know that they could bring the two badly hurt soldiers out with the stretchers. It took some time due to the long tunnels but in the end they managed to carry them out. Hudson and Rimfire carried Modo since they were the second tallest in the group and had the strength to carry the nearly 200 kilos of dead weight that Modo currently was. Seven along with another rat carried Simson on his stretchers. Both of the wounded ones were carefully put in the back of the van and as it was made sure to not leave even a tip of a tail between the doors, Vinnie banged the doors close and nearly leaped to the driver's seat.

"A post van, Vinnie?" Throttle raised his eyebrow as the white furred male closed the door, but had the window down.

"Well, the postal services are run with our tax money so in a way we own this van..." Vinnie answered a bit sheepishly.

"You don't pay taxes..." Throttle remarked.

"But I would, if I ever get paied..." Vinnie babbled starting the van.

"Okay, so, remember we are in a hurry but we can't raise attention so you must follow the speed limits, got that? The Army's still out there looking for us, we can't risk for them to catch you guys." Throttle said and Vinnie started the van.

"I know, I know... I'll... sneak..." He said the last word with a visible shudder and disgust. But there wasn't anything he would not do for his bro. He would even sneak if have to.

"Good..." Throttle nodded with a small huff and he tapped Vinnie on his shoulder.

"And remember to call me immidiately when you get to the hospital, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah... Chill, bro... I'm the chauffeur of this four-wheel can, what could possibly go wrong?" Vinnie flashed a charming smile and he then stepped on the gas and the sand whirled around the van. After watching a moment longer as the van moved away, Throttle turned around to face all the ones that were left behind that was everyone else except Rimfire, Stoker and Seven who had all hopped behind the van also.

"C'mon... We have to get to the Headquarters and it'll take time since we have to take a long scenic route back so we'll not encounter anyone on our way..."

He gave the van that was already a small dot in the distance a last look. He would've wanted to be there for his bro... He would've given anything to be there with him. But right now, the things were tense and difficult and needed someone to take care of them. He had seen Stoker suddenly sinking deep into his thoughts inside the mountain after they had found Modo and Simson, his look distant and confused... It had dawned on Throttle that the old commander could not at the moment concentrate on the matter at hand. He had also felt how everyone else had witnessed the sudden change in their leader and he had felt how all eyes were slowly but firmly beginning to turn to him, everyone wanting to know what was going to happen and what they were going to do.

Stoker had not told anyone that he had asked Throttle to become the next leader of the Resistance. Infact only Rimfire knew about this since he had been witnessing the situation himself the moment it had happened. And Throttle had not really known when exactly would that time come that he should take Stoker's place...He had thought that Stoker might maybe announce it to the Fighters at some point or that there might be even some festivities...But as he looked into the eyes of everyone that were now looking at him he suddenly realized that the change had already been on its' way. He had not noticed it himself but he now could see it in those eyes that were all currently locked to watch him...That the Fighters were actually looking at him the way they were looking at Stoker. And as a matter of fact it was a bit frightening. Stoker was and will always be the greatest Freedom Fighter of all time and it suddenly felt nerve-wracking for Throttle to stand there, before all those great soldiers. But at the same time he felt a huge responsibility over each one of them. He was not the Leader of the Resistance yet but today he had to be.

Throttle turned his look and whistled to his bike and the black motorcycle drove to him. He put on his helmet and sat on the saddle in a total silence, still feeling everyone's eyes on him. He then gave everyone a look.

"C'mon, we ain't got a whole day! We've got this planet to save, let's go already!"

The Fighters and the rebel rats all mounted their bikes and the big bunch of bikers then sped off and drove off towards the desert.

x

x

A good bike ride away, Mace was putting on his bike helmet and sat down on his bike as well, inside a dim tunnel, just under the Mice Army Base. A mouse soldier hurried to him.

"Sir...! We got the footage back from the Mount Olympus! It looks like the Freedom Fighters along with some rats searched the tunnels and found the two wounded ones..."

Mace took the few photos the soldier gave to him that had been printed out and he quickly ran them through.

"Good... That was the plan..."

"I don't understand, sir..."

"No... I didn't think you would, my dear little mouse soldier... But for your luck you don't have to. Your paycheck will be plenty for you to understand. Now, if you'll excuse me... I'm having a meeting to attend to..." Mace closed his visor and threw the photos at the mouse soldier and then kickstarted his bike and took off.

x

x

The post van was cruising along the narrow streets of Brimstone City but still within the acceptable speed limits. Vinnie was so eager to press the pedal to the metal that he had to remind himself every five seconds to not do so and his whole body was vibrating due to the constant cycle of trying to keep himself under control.

"Oh man... What good does it do to have wheels under you if one has to obey some speed limits? I mean, c'mon... 50 km per hour?! 50?! No wonder the mail's always late!"

Vinnie stopped as he heard a bang coming from the back of the van.

"Vinnie, would you mind not make the turns so fast?! This is not a joyride!" Stoker's muffled voice came through the steel and aluminum and Vinnie snorted.

"Yeah, you're right about that, grandpa, this most definatly ain't a joyride...There's no joy to drive a vehicle in a responsible way!"

As Vinnie was mentally beating himself up for not stealing an ambulance for that would not have been drawning too much attention to drive that like a maniac, the sirens howling and all (because that was what the ambulances were all about)...he then saw the hospital glimmering in between some taller buildings.

"Hold on! We're right at the hospital!" Vinnie shouted and gave a look at the van's speed metre and grunted as it took all his willpower to keep the little arrow to stay in the 50...

"Hold on..." He snorted.

"More like "Hang on..."

The hospital came to view in its' full glory and the van crawled up the small hill and then drove in the back, where Aprilia had instructed them to drive. As soon as the van had stopped and Vinnie had jumped off the driver's seat and hurried to open the back doors of the van he heard that the doors to the hospital were flung open and two doctors, a male and a female, rushed out along with a few nurses. Stoker stepped out of the back of the van and gave the doctors a look and the white-coated medical staff stopped on their tracks as they saw him, he was a legend after all. A legend that everyone on Mars knew.

"You're friends of Aprilia's?" The leader of the Resistance asked and the doctors only nodded back, their jaws slightly open but Stoker did not have time to boast in the glory as he stepped aside to let the doctors see the two unconscious patients inside the vehicle. The doctors quickly shared a look like they just realized that their potential patients were more likely to be guerilla soldiers that were currently on the government's most wanted list... They startled even more once seeing Seven jumping out of the vehicle and greeting the doctors with a quick nod. A rat in the Mice territory? With the Freedom Fighters? But they did not have time to make new friends or stay out here in the open too long, since someone might see them even if they were at the back of the building.

"We need two stretcher beds...! Quickly!" The fair coloured female doctor then snapped out of her bewilderment and gave orders to the nurses who ran back intrough the doors. She then climbed inside the van and knelt down beside the wounded to run a quick examination on them.

"We've got two wounded, the other one is a...big male, grey... He's got...two right ribs broken...as well as a puncture wound on his left thigh..."

She then turned to Stoker like wanting a comfirmation on what she has just told.

"I don't know, you're the doctor..." Stoker only gave a clueless impression back.

The female doctor only rolled her eyes annoyed and turned to the other patient and kept on listing the injuries as the male doctor was quickly writing the things down on his little notepad before suddenly a thick, furless tail was wrapped around the note pad, squeezing it so it scrunched a bit. The male doctor raised his look to meet Seven's eyes.

"I guess it goes without saying that these notes will disappear after you guys don't need them anymore...?"

"S-sure..." The male doctor nodded, correcting his glasses that were perched on his nose and as Seven unwrapped his tail, he continued writing, even if a bit wobbly handed.

"...the second one...is a rat..." The female stopped for a second, to contemplate briefly but continued.

"...he seems to have lost his tail, or a considerable part of it... Otherwise there seems to be bruises all over both of the patients' bodies...Not all of them new ones though..." The female doctor remarked but then stopped as she just now noticed Modo's bionic arm. She gave Stoker another glance and this only shrugged innocently.

"A prosthesis."

"Right..." The female doctor drawled not really amused since she knew the man was lying but then ordered the little crowd to move as the nurses came with the proper hospital stretcher beds and as they were professionals, it didn't take long before the two patients were moved out of the vehicle and taken inside the hospital.

As Stoker, Vinnie, Rimfire and Seven were to enter the building as well the female doctor turned around on her heels and pointed at them, not looking happy.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Uhm...In?" Stoker not much of asked but hoped.

"No-no-no-no... You are not stepping inside the hospital, looking like that..."

The Fighters and Seven gave each other a look.

"...and put us all into risk. You have something to ask, call Aprilia. I know I will..." The doctor muttered and then turned around and hurried after the others, leaving the four of them stand there, looking a little clueless. Stoker sighed.

"She's right... It's best if we lie low for a little while..."

"Lie low?! First the speed limits and now you want us to lie low?! Are we in a daycare?!" Vinnie grunted annoyed.

"But..." Rimfire wanted to protest as he still looked at the direction Modo and Simson had been taken although they could not see them any longer.

"I know. But it is for their best..." Stoker sighed, stroking the tall youngster's shoulder.

Rimfire was not looking happy but he turned around and slowly walked out of the building, shaking his head and debating whether he should inform his mother or grandmother about Modo being this severely hurt.

"C'mon... Let's go call Throttle and hear what they're up to... We'll come back here and try to sneak us in..." Stoker talked as he, Seven and Vinnie also left the building.

x

x

Mace pulled his bike over a building that looked like an abandon warehouse. He took away his helmet and looked around him but there was nothing to be seen in any direction, no other buildings, no mice, nothing. He carefully walked to a door and dialled a code to the lock system and soon the door opened with a little noise. He walked in and closed the door behind him. He scratched his head, a bit distracted and corrected his uniform, clearing his throat. He came to a big hall that was dark but there was light coming from under one of the doors on the other side of the hall. He walked with long steps and just behind the door he stopped and stood there a couple of seconds before finally taking in a deep breath and opening the door, walking in.

Instantly a strong and pungent odour hit him in the face and he had to close his eyes and clear his throat, trying to prevent him from maybe throwing up his meal he had consumed a few hours ago. He walked over to the table and was to sit down but a voice stopped him.

"What are you doing?"

Mace sighed and gestured towards the chair.

"Taking a seat...?"

"No... You don't get to sit down in the same table with our High Chairman, you tiresome rodent... Where are your manners?" An unpleasant looking Plutarkian officer snorted while sitting by the table himself. Well, to say he was unpleasant looking was an understatement, for even for a Plutarkian the greenish male with a wide mouth, the nail-sharp teeth pointing into every direction and the two small piercing mean eyes buried deep into his skull, was looking hidious. He was seated beside the High Chairman who only stared quietly at Mace, not looking pleased, and was covered with gold and purple garments and on top of his head there was a ridiculous looking crown. Around these two was a big entourage of Plutarkians that only sat there, their eyes on the grey furred rat standing infront of them.

Mace made a face of unpleasement and sighed, remaining standing up.

"Fine. The air might be fresher up here anyway..." He talked under his breath.

"So... Anything to tell us? Have you made any progress whatsoever with those fleeing freedom fanatics?" The officer asked.

"I have a plan to find their Headquarters..."

"Do I need to remind you that we're not hunting properties but mice!"

Mace sighed and crossed his arms.

"...we find the hole they're living in and then we can smoke them out and kill them all one...by...one."

The Plutarkian officer gave the High Chairman a look who nodded and then whispered something to him.

"The High Chairman wants to know how long it will take for you to eliminate all the Freedom Fighters?"

"He can't talk to me directly?" Mace asked annoyed.

"He doesn't have to... He as a matter of fact has dragged His Fishyness all the way from Plutark..." the Plutarkian officer started to raise his voice and Mace rolled his eyes, knowing already what was coming.

"...to here, to see some evidence on your work, the work he is paying you to do...!"

"Well, you can tell him that I am not resting before they are all dead! I have a solid plan."

The Plutarkian officer studied him a bit before opening his mouth again.

"So. Mr. Mace. How are you going to execute this little plan to wipe out the Freedom Fighters?"

"As a matter of fact my plan is already in action as we speak. I planted a microchip on one of the wounded soldiers that will be brought back to the Headquarters in some point soon. After I find out their hiding hole, it'll be a piece of cake to take them down."

"And are you able to destroy those bothersome bastards?"

"You know the secret Army division I keep on my payroll already found many of those mice and tracked them down and killed them...With my instructions."

"...are you referring to the ones who the Fighters saved only a short time ago?"

"They managed to save only what was left of them and those who were waiting to be tested with the mind control machine..."

"...the very machine that escaped your hands also..."

"I know that when we find the Fighters and the place where they are hiding, we'll find the machine, too."

The Plutarkians all had their doubtful eyes on Mace.

"Very well. You have a month." The Army officer said and as it looked like the meeting would be over Mace opened his mouth again.

"I want a guarantee."

Everyone's eyes were on Mace again and he quickly gave them all a look before setting his eyes on the officer again.

"Excuse me?" The officer then asked.

"I want a guarantee that you'll keep your part of the bargain..." Mace said his face dead serious.

"We will. The boy will not be harmed." The officer talked nonchalantly.

"And you will get to live, along with your crew while the rest of the population of Mars will be turned into very cooperative workforce with the mind bender and as Mars will be sent to Plutark's orbit. The High Chairman wants more storage room."

"There are other planets, you know...What's so special about this one?" Mace grunted back.

"Yes there in deed are other planets... But we have paied for this one already. And we will get what's ours." The Officer said putting weight into the words.

The High Chairman studied Mace and then pointed at him with his reptilian type finger.

"You'll have one month. After that, we'll keep the kid. He'll make a good servant...or a snack."

Mace only stared at them as the Plutarkians all stood up and left the room. As the door closed and the silence fell over the place Mace took a deep breath and sat down on a chair, running his palm over his face. He then took his wallet from his back pocket and between the cards and receipts he finally found an old crumbled photo of a tan furred mouse girl with white hair, holding a baby in her arms. He studied the photo a moment before then ripping it into many pieces and throwing it out. He then got up and walked out of the room.

x

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_Phew! So, my fingers are starting to become numb from all this writing... I think it may take a little while for me to write the next chapter..._

_Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and please review!_

_Until next time!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	15. Chapter 15 : The Hospital Is a Place to

_Hello there citizens!_

_So, here's a new chapter... And it became a bit longer than expected but I wanted to get these things out of my system in order to concentrate what happens next so... If there's someone who doesn't like long chapters, sorry!_

A huuuuuuuge thanks to all of you who have been reading this story and my previous one to which ofcourse this is a direct sequel...

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed or sent PM! It warms my heart to see that you took a few minutes to tell me your thoughts about the story! Thank you!

So, on with the story I guess...:)

And as always: please enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!

-SpaceFlora

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 15**

**The Hospital Is a Place to Keep People Alive  
**

Aprilia was walking in the garage, between the bikes that were still there. She was circling them, studying these powerful, shiny machines with her shy stare before suddenly hearing someone clearing her throat behind her. She quickly looked over her shoulder to see Harley standing there in the doorway in her work attire, having her arms crossed and a small smirk on her lips.

"Ponderin' about jackin' a bike and hittin' the road to get to the hospital...?"

Aprilia flushed and turned her look away because that was exactly what had been going through her mind. Only reason she had not executed her plan was that she actually didn't really know how to drive a motorcycle...A silly truth considering the fact that she had being living many years with the Freedom Fighters that were basically rebels on bikes.

Aprilia scratched her neck a bit awkwardly.

"No..." She finally voiced with a tone that told the exact opposite. The fact was, she wanted to see Modo. She needed to see him. She had this strong pull, this crazy urge to just ditch everything and run across the desert to be with her man. She needed to be there for him. Aprilia knew that Modo along with his bros did not have exactly good memories from the operation rooms or on anything considering the medical procedures. What if Modo suddenly woke up and found himself in the unknown environment and surrounded by the medical equipment and strange people? That would not be a pretty scene. Aprilia knew Modo was in a really bad shape but she knew also that one could never underestimate the power of adrenaline kicking in and considering the fact that her fiancée was a particularly large man with a lethal weapon attached to him... Well then, the hospital would be in a great danger of being destroyed and the staff getting seriously hurt...She also needed to be there and see that everything went well. She knew the doctors, she knew they were good, but she was a doctor herself and she knew also that things could go wrong in the operating rooms. Very wrong.

Harley observed her friend but then let out a sigh.

"Look, Throttle just contacted the base and he told me they were on their way here, they should be here in an hour..."

"What about Stoker, Vinnie and Rimfire? They're still at the hospital?"

"Guess so... Haven't heard from them." Harley talked letting her eyes wander on the blonde female. Aprilia was currently wearing the Freedom Fighter's combat pants and a yellow shirt that Harley had given her since again she didn't have too many items of her own clothing with her. The pants and the shirt were licking her figure due to the fact she had more curves than the typical female Fighter. Aprilia looked like she was a bit lost in her thoughts as she was carefully trying to tame her wild hair that had been neglected these past few days. Harley decided to continue the conversation.

"...and you know, Aprilia, that in any other circumstances I would've just ordered you to hop on a bike and I would've driven us already to the Brimstone City...but Throttle gave a strict order for us all stay inside for it could bring everyone in great danger if we left the base right now."

"I know... I just wish I could be there, you know..."

"I know."

Suddenly the Fighter that had been ordered to stay behind to guard the Headquarters interrupted them two as he walked into the garage and nodded towards Aprilia.

"It's Rimfire, he wants to talk with you."

Aprilia rushed past the Fighter and ran to the main hall where the VidCom was on and he could see the sandcoloured young male's face that was not anymore as round as it had been during his younger years but had started to become more chiseled, like his uncle's and for a moment, even if Rimfire had brown eyes instead of red ones, Aprilia could actually see a hint of Modo in his eyes.

"Rimfire? How are you?" Aprilia took a chair and sat down infront of the monitor, already anxious about the possible news the young male would have for her.

"I'm fine, Aprilia-ma'am... How are you holdin' up?"

Aprilia only gave a weak smile back.

"I think I'm okay..."

"Yeah... I would do much better if we were welcomed inside the hospital, though... We don't know what's happenin' in there, I mean what if somethin' happens...? What if..." Rimfire looked a bit anxious and couldn't even end his sentence, he seemed ready to intrude the hospital anyway, no matter what the consequences were.

"I got a message that the doctors will contact me after the surgeries are done. It's best if we don't disturb their job right now...We just have to stay calm." Aprilia tried to calm him down despite her having the same level of anxiety going through her at the moment. She noticed Rimfire's look becoming grim and she sighed.

"Listen, I know how you feel... It kills me that I can't be there right now..."

"I can always pick you up?" Rimfire asked, his ears perking up slightly but Aprilia shook her head with a sad smile.

"I'm afraid that's not possible... I mean, we got an order to stay inside, for it's not safe for us to go outside right now apparently... And it seems that people around here are actually obeying the orders, once in their lifetime, you Fighters are becoming soft..." Aprilia muttered and Rimfire answered with a small humoured snort.

Rimfire was silent for a littlw while before turning his gaze back to her.

"You think that...I should call Grandmommah?"

Aprilia was silent, too. That thought had occured to her mind as well. It was just slightly problematic. Rimfire saw her hesitation.

"I mean, I think she deserves to know that her son is currently lying in the ICU..."

"I don't know whether it is safe for us to contact her or anyone else for that matters and tell them that Modo and Simson are currently in the hospital. I mean the fewer people know the better...They currently are treated under false indentity but if the Army finds out about them, they'll just raid the hospital and capture them..."

"But she is his mom...She has the right to know." Rimfire talked like it was the best argument in the world. And maybe it was.

"I know..." Aprilia sighed since she didn't have a clue whether they should tell Modo's Mommah or not but Rimfire kept on pressing.

"I mean this will come to her knowledge some point anyway and I don't know if I wanna be there when Grandmommah finds out about it and learns that we didn't tell her..."

"Look, I don't know! Okay?!" Aprilia raised her voice, frustrated about this whole situation. Rimfire studied her face but nodded.

"Just sayin'...She lives quite close so I could just go there and tell her..."

"No, you can't just go in there! What if someone's tailing you guys or sees you? You'll put your grandmother into great danger and I don't wanna be there when your uncle hears about that!"

Rimfire's ears drooped a bit while hearing her strained high-pitched voice. Aprilia gave a deep sigh, shaking her head.

"Okay. I will call your Grandmother, okay? I'm also a doctor so maybe I can try and reassure her that this is the safest and only way to do this...Maybe I can keep her relatively calm about this whole thing..."

"I don't know... She'll flip and if there's something this family knows it is how to flip...Must be in the genes..." Rimfire thought out loud, rubbing his chin and Aprilia gave a snort.

"Trust me, I know...Okay, talk to you later, kiddo...And stay outta trouble, you hear me? Don't do anything I wouldn't do..."

"Well, you're not doing anything at the moment..."

"Exactly." Aprilia smiled and then ended the call.

Well, great. Now she only needed to call her soon-to-be mother-in-law and tell her that his son was A) hurt, B) hurt very badly, C) currently lying on a surgery table and D) to keep him safe, no one could go to visit him. Aprilia gave a deep sigh and tried to collect herself. Maybe she needed to brew some tea first... She knew Modo's Mommah was a sweet old lady but underneath all that there was a woman who was hard as nails.

x

x

As the call ended, Rimfire dialled another number to his mobile VidCom as a thought had occured to his head. A thought that he had not been too comfortable to share with Aprilia. That doubt should've maybe indicated him that the plan he had in mind was not maybe the safest or the best one but... Well, it was the only plan right now so he might as well make it work. If he couldn't go inside the hospital then let's just say it was handy to have a twin sister who conveniently was working as a nurse in that said hospital...

Soon the face of the light tan coloured female with blonde hair appeared on the screen. Her eyes were the same shade of brown than her brother's and they were now wide open.

"Rimfire?" Primer raised her voice but clearly moved her location to have more privacy.

"Hi, sis..."

"Are you okay?" Primer asked, looking slightly worried.

"Yes, I'm fine but..."

"You stupid dork!" Primer stated as soon as she heard he was okay.

"...okay, well, nice to talk to you, too..." Rimfire was a bit taken back by his sister's remark.

"You stole from the government?! Mom told me you stole from the government and now you're on the run!"

Rimfire sighed, ah yeah, that old thing... Words travel fast.

"Listen, I don't have time to start telling you the whole story here..."

"You don't have time? _You_ don't have time? What about you calling me to my work? I definately don't have time! People are dying in here, this is a hospital!"

"I guess you haven't really understood the whole concept of the hospitals, sis...You're suppoused to keep the patients alive not kill them..." Rimfire chuckled, still finding time to joke in his sister's expense.

"You know what I mean! I have important things to do around here! We cannot all be some nerdy coders who can sit on their asses the whole day and drink those disgusting sugar-rush-explotions!"

"It's not nerdy! It's called the future, sis, take some notes!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I happened to check your browser history the other night and I can tell you that your future does not strike me so bright..."

"You checked my browser history?! You can't do that! That's violenting my privacy!"

"Says someone who hacks into people's computers for living..."

"That's different...! Okay, look, this is not important... What is important is that I needed to contact you and tell you that Uncle Modo's there, in the hospital!"

"What?! Uncle's here? He's okay? Why is he here?! Is he hurt?!" Primer started the rapid shots of questions and Rimfire scratched his brow, heaving a sigh.

"Yeah, he's there and... I don't know how he is doing and infact I was kinda hoping that you could maybe find out about that..."

"I'm gonna go search him right now!"

"No! Pri, wait..."

"What?!"

"Just... You can't tell anyone who he is, you can't tell people you're related...He's currently treated under false indenty, you know the government and the Army are all looking for him..."

"Yeah, I guess, that runs in the family, hu...? Are you two trying to get joint cells?! And F.Y.I. if you get arrested and I'll never get to see you again, i will murder you!"

"Aww... how lovely... Just remember to not tell anyone who he is..."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"And you have to be careful... I don't want you to get into trouble or hurt yourself..."

Primer snorted.

"You're preaching me about trouble? My mug was not in the front pages of the newspaper, just under the words "Public Enemies no. 1"! Never thought you would end up being our family's CoverGirl..."

"Hysterical."

"Just for the record, Grandmommah clipped your's and Uncle's photos out of that paper...She's mad but she's proud."

"You women are weird."

"Yeah, like you knew anything about women. I will contact you as soon as I know something, okay?"

"Okay...But, please, please be careful, alright?" Rimfire suddenly seemed a bit worried as he started to second-guess his plan.

"Yes! Nothing's gonna happen to me, I'm a nurse, so people seeing me walking down the corridors here is like the most natural thing ever! Anyway, I have to go and distribute people their medicines before they all die... I'll try and look if I can find Uncle Modo the same time..."

"Okay..."

"Okay, talk to you later, byeee!"

Rimfire sighed and put the mobile VidCom away.

"Who was that?" Stoker suddenly appeared next to him and startled Rimfire a bit.

"Hm? Oh that... I talked with Aprilia and she said that the doctors will call her after the surgeries and that we can only wait..." Well, he wasn't lying that much...

Stoker raised his eyebrow a bit questioning but then nodded.

"Okay. Guess we have to wait then..."

"You took the van back?"

"Yup, and picked up our bikes..."

"Any sign on Lil'Hoss?" Rimfire carefully asked.

"No..." Stoker sighed and let his eyes wander on the big hospital building before turning to the young male and clapped him on his back.

"But when Modo wakes up, we'll not tell him that... Immidiately anyway... He adores that bike, he'll just try to escape the hospital and go find it and we don't want that..."

x

x

Mina walked towards the medical facilities inside the Headquarters. She carefully knocked on the wall and peaked inside the infirmary to find Beretta, cleaning some equipment, raising her look.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No...Come on in..." Beretta talked and stopped whatever she was doing and took a seat behind the table.

"I was just wondering... If you had something that could help me to sleep...?" Mina carefully asked.

Beretta observed her with her stunningly blue eyes and then nodded.

"Sure... But just to act more professionally here... I'd like to know why you think you'll need them? And what is keeping you awake?"

Mina sighed and looked around her but the infirmary was empty except them.

"Don't worry, ain't exactly crowded in here." Beretta smiled a bit and gestured Mina to sit down by the table. Mina nodded and did what she was asked.

"It's just that... Now that I'm here again..."

"You're feeling anxious?"

"Well, yes but..." Mina started and she looked uncomfortable and didn't look into Beretta's eyes. The burgundy haired, golden furred female observed this shy looking creature infront of her.

"There's something else?"

"...I guess, you've heard about my son?"

"Yes, I heard... Nothing in here stays a secret too long, I swear these Fighters share rumours sometimes out of the sheer boredom..."

"Well, it is about my son, in a way... Ever since I was brought here, I can't seem to be able to concentrate on anything or sleep, he's always on my mind and I'm just so scared to think what happened to him so it's like my mind's constantly on this loop... Sometimes I just wish that I wouldn't remember him..." Mina talked but then quickly gave Beretta a look.

"Is that making me a bad mom..? Am I a bad person too say things like these? I mean I love him, but I just feel that I'm going crazy..."

"No...You're not a bad person. I can understand that you're worried about him. But it is also important that you get some rest and take care of yourself, too... Actually I think it would be helpful if you could talk about these things with someone..."

Mina nodded quietly.

"Like someone professional? A shrink?" Mina gave a rare chuckle.

"I actually think that goes on to every individual in this joint, haven't seen this many fucked up persons in one place..."

"Well, there isn't too much to talk about it... He was so little when they took him away..." Mina said quietly, like mostly saying that to herself.

"Who are "they"?"

"Some people I didn't know... The ones that forced me then to spy on the Fighters, to turn my back on them... It was like save the planet or my own baby."

"What about the kid's father?"

Mina gave a bit startled look but then shook her head.

"He's not around...Anymore..."

"You don't think he kidnapped the kid?"

"No... I mean, he didn't even want me to keep the baby. But I did."

"Were you together long?"

"...We weren't really even together, you know... It wouldn't be wise for us to be together, people can be so mean... We didn't want people to know about our relationship but then I had the baby and well, he just disappeared..." Mina talked in a rather enigmatic way.

"You didn't see him anymore?"

Mina raised her look to meet Beretta's clear blue eyes but shook her head.

"No." Her mouth suddenly close as a tight line like she was done talking about the whole subject.

"Look, I only want to get some sleep. I only want to have a few hours of rest without my mind racing...That's all I need. I just need to shut down my mind for a few hours..."

"Tell you what, I can give you the sleeping pills... But I'm only giving you a few pills just for tonight... Just a normal procedure..."

"Incase I try to overdose?" Mina snorted and Beretta smiled.

"I think you'll not do anything as stupid as that but can't be too careful with a bunch of soldiers suffering from anxieties and traumas and what not..."

"Yeah..." Mina nodded and after a little hesitation she reached out to her pants' pocket and grabbed a small colourful wallet from there. She pondered a minute and then took a photo out of it and gave it to Beretta.

"That's the only photo I'm having of him, my baby... He was so little when he was taken away from me, I didn't even get to have more photos of him..."

Beretta carefully watched the photo in her hands. In the photo there was a baby reclining on a towel, laughing at the camera.

"Cute." Beretta smiled but then noticed something that was not normal with the mouse babies. It was the tail. And even if the baby was small and the features weren't still properly evolved, it was clear that the tail the baby was having was way thicker than the tail of a normal mouse baby. Beretta's mind was starting to race but she quickly gave the photo back to Mina and smiled at her.

"I'll just go get the pills..." She said and left the table. Mina nodded and then gave a look at the photo. She planted a feather-light kiss on it before putting it carefully back to her wallet.

x

x

Primer was pushing a cart that was stacked full of meds as she was walking down the corridors, in her nurse uniform, peaking inside the rooms and pushing aside some curtains infront of the hospital beds. So far, no sign on her uncle. She sighed and pushed the cart forward, nodding with a smile to an elderly patient who walked past her but after passing the patient her look became grim again.

She had searched the first, second and third floors already but in vain. That meant that there was only one floor left and then there would be the basement... But she didn't have the access there. She pushed the lift button and stood there waiting, her arms crossed. She registered that someone stopped beside her, to wait the lift also. She carefully lifted her gaze and saw two soldiers in their Army outfits standing there, in a rather relaxed way, tapping their fingers against their guns in their holsters. Primer must have let out a small gasp since both of the soldiers turned their looks on her.

"Good day, miss." The other one only smiled and nodded at Primer, clearly looking at her from head to toes and liking what he saw.

"Morning." Primer blurted and quickly turned her look away, in sync with the lift doors opening and she rushed into the lift with her cart, the two soldiers following her. She turned around and pushed a button, to the fourth floor.

"What floor?" Primer asked nervously.

"It looks like we're going to the same floor with you, miss." The other soldier said.

"Oh...Good..." Primer replied so silently that the soldiers didn't really hear that as she felt how she became a little more nervous. As the doors went close she just glared straight at the buttons, her back slightly turned to the soldiers. She could still hear them tapping the heavy weaponery strapped against the side of their pelvis.

Suddenly she saw a hand appearing in her field of view and her breath hitched as she saw the soldier to push the stop button. Primer felt her heartbeat to rise and she quickly glanced at the soldiers' direction.

"Miss..." The other one started.

"Please, don't hurt me!" Primer shouted but the two soldiers gave each other a bit confused looks.

"Miss, we're not going to hurt you... Sorry for scaring you like this, we only wanted to ask a few questions and well, it just seemed like a good idea to quickly ask you before we're back in that crowded and noisy floor...We didn't mean to scare you..."

"And we're the Army, we don't hurt innocent people, so easy there citizen..." The other one explained further more with a smile on his lips.

"Yeah, we're the good guys. Unlike some terrorists who run around creating havoc and destruction..." The other one concluded. Primer only stared at them back and forth and she slowly started to feel more relaxed again.

"You mean like...those Freedom Fighters?" She then asked carefully.

"Yes. And that leads us to our questions... You might have heard already that those renegades paied a visit to our city this morning and we're currently trying to locate them..."

Primer changed looks with the men and she only shook her head.

"Well, I don't know anything about that..."

"You haven't seen anything weird today? Anything out of the ordinary...?"

"No..." Primer's voice was tight and she kept her hands behind her back, trying to look and sound as innocent as possible. The other soldier was going through the meds in her cart, carefully reading the labels on them. Like there would be some clues.

"You don't know if there's been taken in any shot wound victims or other wounded persons into the hospital today?"

"No..." Primer's voice was like a soft squeak, her brown eyes going back and forth between the two males. The soldiers looked at each other but then gave Primer a smile back.

"Thank you for your time, miss Primer."

Primer startled as they knew her name and the other soldier only gave a laugh and then tapped the right side of his chest and Primer looked down on her right.

"Your name tag, miss..." The other soldier smiled and then pushed the lift button again.

"Ah, yeah, forgot that one..." Primer nodded back as the lift nudged into movement again. Soon the doors opened and she rushed out of the elevator with her cart. Man, this secret agent thing was maybe raising her adrenaline levels more than it was intended to... She had to find Modo before those soldiers did. Where was he?!

x

x

Aprilia woke up when she heard the VidCom making the signal that someone was trying to contact the base. She felt a bit dazed but then rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked around her. She must have dozed off to the chair infront of the VidCom. The lightfurred female cleared her throat and took the call and saw a familiar face appearing on the big screen.

"Doctor Shelly... " She nodded, already feeling her anxiety raising its' ugly head.

"Doctor Aprilia..." Doctor Shelly only nodded back with a slight smile but her face became stern again.

"You completed the surgeries?" Aprilia asked carefully, feeling her heart rate quickening.

"Yes...This male mouse had two broken ribs and a bad puncture wound on his left thigh. We had to make an operation where we had to use some plates and screws to stabilize the ribs. But it went well and it should heal quite fast. We also did inject some anesthesia just around that area and he'll get to have a good amount of painkillers, too."

"But the surgery went well? His lungs are okay?" Aprilia was a little out of breath. She hadn't noticed that she had been actually holding her breath the hold time when listening to her friend talk.

"Yes, the lungs are okay and it all went well. He'll have a scar from the operation though, but it seems that that's nothing new to the patient...I mean, that body has really seen things..." Doctor Shelly only nodded, seemingly impressed.

"And the puncture wound?" Aprilia asked.

"It took ten stitches but otherwise, it's looking good."

Aprilia sighed in a relief and nodded.

"...and... the rat...? What happened to him?"

"Oh, yes, well, he was a bit more unfortunate, I'm afraid. He had already lost his tail when he got to the hospital so only thing we could do was to patch him up. Unfortunately he has to learn how to walk without his tail...But they were both really lucky, they both had lost a lot of blood due to the wounds and the internal bleedings but they're both going to make it."

"Thank you, Shelly. For helping me...And for saving their lives..."

"It's our job to help people..." Doctor Shelly interrupted with a warm smile but continued.

"But, to lie to our superiors and everyone else... That's another thing ofcourse... We just have to really hope and pray that no one finds out where we keep them at the moment..."

"I'm so sorry... I didn't know what else to do, Shelly...I know this was too much to ask but..."

Doctor Shelly observed her via the VidCom but then cleared her throat.

"Aprilia, you're my friend, of course I'll help you if there's only something I can help you with...But care to share some details atleast? Who are these guys...? Judging by their bodies I think I can quite safely say that these guys don't work in a nine to five world... I mean, I've seen some injuries and all but this goes right there on top of the list of impressive shit...These guys look like they hardly dodge the gunfire and particularly the big grey one had too many scars and old bruises to even count them all...Not to mention his bionic arm which I know is not a normal prosthesis. I'm not stupid. So, I think that either you have ran into some weird underground fighting crew or these guys are infact part of Mars' resistance..."

Aprilia's lips curled up slightly while hearing about her friend's explanation but she shook her head.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you too much info, it's better if you don't know so much, that way if there comes any trouble you can honestly tell them that you don't know anything..."

"Right... But this big fellow... He's the guy you've been telling me about, hu? Your secret crush that no one ever sees..."

"He's been...away...And yes... He is my fiancé." Aprilia's voice became more quiet like she didn't want anyone to hear these words. And she didn't. She had only told Harley that she and Modo were infact engaged.

"Your fiancé, hu? Well, congratulations are in order then, I guess? You better make sure I'll get an invitation to the weddings, too. Consider this as an early wedding present from me."

Aprilia gave a small laugh and nodded.

"Thanks, Shelly... I cannot even express how grateful I am..."

"Don't even think about it. This is what friends are for..."

"They're awake?"

"No, not yet, but there's a good chance they'll wake up soon..."

"Yeah, well... Hope not..." Aprilia talked nearly under her breath. She would prefer if those two would sleep until they were safely brought back to the Headquarters. It would be way more easier to deal with them when they were unconscious.

"And normally, after these kind of surgeries and injuries, I would recommend that they would stay here for three to four days but since you're a very capable doctor yourself I guess there's no need for them to spend that amount of time in here... And I'm only guessing that you don't even want them to stay here too long..."

"Yes, we need to move them as soon as possible. I don't know how or when but we have to figure out something fast. Also the faster we can get them out of there the faster you are all free of all the accusations..."

"Don't worry, we have them hidden. Only my surgery staff members knows where we keep them and they are reliable..."

"Oh, and one thing... I don't know how to explain this but... If and when he wakes up before we get to move them out of there..."

"This big grey one? Your fiancé who's name I cannot even get in this point?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry, but it's best like I said that you know as little as possible for now... But I'll tell you everything the minute I can get a chance and it is safe to do so!"

"Okay, so, you were saying when he wakes up...?"

"Yes, he's not really okay with all things relating to the hospitals or medical procedures..."

"And ironically he dates a doctor..." Doctor Shelly failed to disguise her amusement.

"Yes, that is ironic... But, that said, when he wakes up... Just tell him straight away that your my friend and you're only helping him. Try to make him feel at ease...? He really is a sweet guy despite his looks so, try and convince him he's safe...And about that bionic arm... You're right, it's not a prosthesis per se..." Aprilia bit her lip, trying to think how she'll warn her friend about a gun attached to her fiancé.

"You might wanna be careful around that arm... "

"It's a gun, isn't it?"

"Only for self-protection!"

"Right... Can I take it off? For self-protection...?"

Aprilia looked into her eyes.

"I'd prefer if you didn't... And, before you say anything...! He's gonna be a lot more chiller if he wakes up and finds out that he still has his arm..."

"Well, I must at least tie a rope around it or something, I can't have a patient carrying a loaded gun inside the hospital, you've been spending too much time with these guys, Aprilia, you've forgotten the basic idea of the hospitals is to keep the people safe and alive..."

"Yes, I know that... He's just really sensitive about his arm...But you can tie the hand with a rope or something if you want..." Aprilia only nodded, leaving out the fact that the rope might not do much incase he wanted to use his bionic arm. But as Doctor Shelly was a woman, she was convinced that Modo would not harm her if he woke up. He had never hurt a woman and Aprilia was quite sure he won't be starting the habit either. So she only gave her friend a smile although she could suddenly see just in how different worlds she and her friend were living at the moment. She would have wanted to tell her friend all about the war that had not ended, the ugly truth behind their Government and the Army... But she was afraid that she would come across as a crazy person and Shelly would not infact believe a word she would have to say. Aprilia only hoped that the people would wake up soon and see what was happening around them and that there would come a time for the Fighters to tell the citizens how things really were... And the sooner the better, before more citizens of Mars got hurt.

x

x

The doors to the Headqurters opened and Throttle along with the rest of the Freedom Fighters and the rebel rats drove in and parked their bikes inside the huge garage. Throttle stepped off his bike and walked over to Harley who was wiping her hands to a already greasy towel.

"Everything's okay?" He asked as soon as he didn't have to raise his voice too much for her to hear.

"Everything's okay, chief." Harley nodded with a smirk and Throttle tapped her shoulder.

"I knew you can be trusted to keep things in order here, Harley..."

"Yeah, well, you did leave one of the Fighters to guard us but hey, we all know that I get the last word around these men..." Harley talked with a wink.

"We sure do..." Throttle gave a light chuckle but then grew serious again.

"Any words from the hospital?"

Harley shrugged her shoulders.

"You should ask our petite doctor, she's been sleeping by the main hall's VidCom a few hours already..."

Throttle nodded and continued his way out of the garage.

x

x

x

x

_Phew! That was a long chapter, but there was so many things I wanted to cover in this chapter so..._

_Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review, it'll be much appreciated!_

_Thanks!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	16. Chapter 16: We're Supposed To Be the Go

_Hello all you folks...!_

_Thank you again so much for the reviews and the PM's! I love the support we have here, that there are people cheering you to do your best even if you're having a rough time at times..._

_Well, the last chapter was long and I hope that there aren't too many things that I write and then forget to talk about in the many following chapters so you don't get too confused about things and what is happening and all... _

_I do try to all the time do my best here to make this as coherent story as I can but I tend to have these links that don't really connect to anything... Sorry about that... My bad habit I guess. Or maybe I sometimes just take too long to connect all the dots, I don't know... Well, hopefully everything will be clear in the end..  
_

_Anyway, I had quite a lot written for this chapter before I uploaded the last one so it didn't take that much time to write this chapter and upload it in here... The next chapter might take awhile to publish here though, I'll have a busy weekend coming up..._

_Anywayyyyy since in the last chapter I got things rolling so here the rolling continues, so  
_

_Enjoy the story and like always, feel free to leave a comment!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 16**

**We're Supposed To Be the Good Guys Here**

"Aprilia." Throttle walked over to the blonde female who was still sitting by the VidCom in the main hall, sipping tea.

"Throttle!" Aprilia got up and ran to him and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing the tan furred male tightly. Throttle gave a small chuckle and ruffled her already messy hair.

"Nice to see you, too, doc..."

Aprilia only squeezed him tighter.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of hope and anticipation.

"I'm fine...Everyone's in one piece."

Aprilia nodded with a relieved sigh and released the man from the tight hug. She took a step back and gave him a look.

"We need to get them here, Throttle...It's not safe to keep Modo and Simson at the hospital!"

"I know.."

"Like right now!"

Throttle gave a deep sigh and he took away his gun belt around his waist and dropped that with his hand gun on the near-by table.

"We have to make a plan first..."

"How long will it take?!"

Throttle raised his look and pondered a second before gesturing her to sit down by the table. Aprilia sat down and leaned forward and Throttle sat down also, scratching his scalp absent-mindedly.

"They're not safe there...!" Aprilia repeated, the worry to be read all over her face.

"Aprilia..." Throttle started and the fair-coloured female closed her eyes, already knowing that tone and what it meant.

"We can't do any hasty decisions here. This situation where we're in... This is something we're not familiar with. We need to be smart. We can't afford to make any mistakes."

"Not familiar with? But you guys fought in the war... And the war just keeps on going! How this is not the same?!"

"If there's one thing I'm sure of is that this, whatever it is, this situation, this problem we're having...is much more twisted and bigger than anyone of us can even imagine. We don't even know with whom we're dealing with here. This enemy has not shown it's face to us yet and it's hard to fight against something that has no form."

"But if we're not reacting right now, it can be too late!" Aprilia protested.

"But all can be lost and for nothing if we're not prepared well enough." Throttle only replied.

Aprilia looked down at her hands and shook her head in disbelief before raising her look to meet his.

"So, we're just gonna sit here and do nothing...?" She had a challenging tone now and Throttle did not really appreciate it but remained silent.

"What about Carbine? You're really just sitting here and telling me that you're doing everything you can to help her? We don't even know where she is!" Aprilia opened her mouth again.

"We do know where she is." Throttle answered but with a deeper voice than usual. Frankly, Aprilia was pushing some buttons that he did not want to be pushed right now.

"I'm sorry... You know where they're keeping Carbine? And you're still not trying to rescue her?!" Aprilia raised her voice and it was clear that her worry over Modo had started to take a shape in a form of defiance against anyone who didn't in her mind seem to share her level of worrying.

Throttle was silently looking at her through her spex that were actually preventing Aprilia to really see his eyes but in some odd way, she could at the moment feel his gaze on her. The silence lingered between them a few moments before Throttle opened up his mouth and the words that came out felt like they were filling the whole room.

"I would like nothing more than to just grab my helmet, my bike and and my gun and drive to the Army Base where they're keeping Carbine locked-up, shooting everyone in the vicinity who would be there trying to stop me. That's the urge that is constantly burning inside me. And I could do that... I could drive there and try to kill them all...and maybe I could save her, maybe we could even escape that place alive..."

Aprilia felt her breathing becoming a bit unstable and her heart was bouncing harder in her chest. She knew she had stepped over the line while confronting Throttle like this but she still didn't want to back off.

"You know why I don't do that?" Throttle asked but as it looked like Aprilia wouldn't have an answer ready right away, he continued.

"Because we're supposed to be the good guys here." His words were heavy and packed with suppressed emotions and for some reason Aprilia felt a pinch inside her. She observed his face that seemed hardened and revealed less emotions than his words.

"War changes people and I know it has changed everyone of us." Throttle was still looking straight at Aprilia.

"But I will make sure that'll I do everything in my power to stop us becoming like them. To become killers. Because the second we take that last step, and I know it's a constant struggle to not do that... The second we become them and that'll be the end of the Freedom Fighters. The second we turn to these ruthless killers, we're dead anyway."

Aprilia felt a tear rolling down her cheek but she couldn't look any other way. There was another silence that soon got broken by Throttle who moved in his chair as he got up. He took his weapon and the gun belt from the table.

"There are no winners in war, doc. But I'm really trying my hardest to save as many people that I can." He only said and left the hall without giving her another look.

x

x

Harley was tapping the table in the garage, her look directed to this mind control machine Rimfire had stolen earlier from the Research Centre and that way he had ended up to commit a crime against the government, too. Charley had been the only one who had had the brains to open that machine and take it to pieces, while studying its' technology. There was now a neat pile of papers stacked beside the machine that were telling the basic principles of the machine and how to assemble and disassemble it.

That Earthling was a smart one, Harley couldn't deny that. A thought came to her mind that maybe she had been too hard on her earlier. It wasn't her fault that she was suddenly in the middle of their crazy ass lives. They had been living in a war so long that it had really fucked people up in so many ways and she was woman enough to admit, even if only to herself that she was one of the fucked up people too.

Ofcourse that tailless, small-eared Earthling would not understand everything and her mind would not be in the same setting as theirs were... She had not witnessed the things they had. In a way, it was even refreshing to have this alien in here at their base who acted in an entirely different way and thought things differently. Harley sighed. Oh yeah, she had messed that up, she should apologize... She hadn't been in her best back then... The second these rebel rats had entered the Headquarters, all her bad memories from the time she had spent with Mace and his rat troops had just started to bubble inside her.

She was pondering a second but then tapped the table and left the garage. She could be many things, but she wasn't a coward and right now she knew she would have to suck it up and apologize.

She walked towards the women's rooms that were further away from these bigger dorms that were filled with bunk beds and that the men were using since they were the majority in here. Luckily that was the case and the women had their own rooms since Harley had heard the snoring coming out of those dorms and frankly, it was worse than the bombings.

Harley walked the corridor that lead to the women's rooms and once stepping infront of Charley's door, she knocked on it but opened it straight away. The doors were still a rare things to be found on Mars and Martians did not really get this whole privacy thing and following that logic, they didn't really understand the whole concept of knocking either...That they were suppoused to wait before getting an affirmative to enter...There were exceptions to this ofcourse.

As the door to Charley's room slowly opened up she saw it was empty. And not empty in a sense that Charley wasn't there, although that was the case also, but it was empty in a sense that her stuff was gone too. Harley looked around while walking into the room and she raised her eyebrow.

"Aww, shit." She sighed, with more annoyance than worry and she then rushed out of the room.

x

x

First it was dark and silent. A bit too silent. Then, a few dots of light that slowly began to grow into this bigger field of warm, yellowish light. Then the smell struck, it was a weird smell, not familiar at all and it could not be placed. That realization got Modo to open his eye wide open in a slight panic. Even if the light was warm he still had to blink a few times to get adjusted to it.

He quickly looked around and let his eye wander inside this strange room he was in. Yup, this most definately was not any room he has ever been into. He felt his panic to grow and he was to shot upright to sit but got yanked back to lie down again as his right hand wouldn't allow him to move and with this sudden movement he also felt a massive pain in his right side and he grunted in pain. He turned to look to his right and saw that his bionic arm was tied to this hospital bed's side handle with a thick chain that also went around the whole arm.

"What the...?" He started, now feeling his annoyance to rise inside him but mostly he just became more confused about the whole situation. Also, his heart had started to beat faster because seeing his arm tied up meant most likely that he most definately was not with friends anymore. Someone wanted to make sure he was not to use his arm and that someone was infact afraid of him.

His focus shifted to the pain he was still feeling on his right ribcage area and he moved his left hand to feel the area but his fingertips felt somekind of fabric and as he looked down he saw that he was wearing what seemed to be a hospital gown and nothing more. His bare shins, feet and toes were sticking out of the blanket that was at the moment only halfway covering him. He took a grip on the neckline of the gown and ripped it partly off him so it now revealed his bare chest. He then ran his fingers to that sore spot on the right side of his rib cage again and let his fingertips brush gently the area. It stung as he touched the spot, it felt like a massive bruise but his fingertips detected stitches and he tried to get a good glimpse on the area and saw a neat row of stitches right there on top of his two ribs. He blinked a few times feeling a bit stunned. What had happened? He really didn't remember anything. The last memory was that he and Simson were trapped inside this tunnel. There had been a huge rock that had blocked the tunnel and water had started to flood in...After that his memories were a bit hazy.

He looked around the room again. It didn't look like a room that would normally being used to have patients in it so that rang some alarm clocks inside his head, too. He let his gaze go around the room and saw a shelf near him, in the middle of the room and behind that there was actually another bed but he could only see the end of it.

"Simson?" He tried, raising his voice a bit, totally clueless whether the rat rebel leader would even be in there or was there even anyone to begin with.

"Simson!" He tried again but there was no answer. Right, he got no time for this...He was to shot back up again but was yanked back to lie down anew due to his arm being tied up still.

"God damn it!" He grunted as the pain on his ribs pierced through him. He growled and his eye flashed crimson red and he gathered all his strength and then yanked the bionic arm free off the chains and by doing that the metal handle also bent and the broken chains fell on the ground with a loud rattle. He breathed in and out heavily, looking at his bionic arm, turning it infront of his eye to check that it was okay and it was. He let out a deep sigh, letting his arm fell next to him but then, with a little more care he got up to sit and he threw the blanket off and swung his legs over the edge of his bed, holding his ribcage the same time. His bare feet met the cold ground and he carefully placed them side by side. By moving his legs he could also feel a sting in his left thigh and he looked down and saw that where the hospital gown met his bare thigh, there was another set of stitches.

"Okay..." He only stated, totally clueless and even more lost now as he could not remember how he had gotten all these wounds and injuries. He carefully tried to lift his left leg and moved it and it did all that so he figured the leg was fine. Not good but functioning and that was all he needed. He concentrated on the halfway ripped gown again. He turned to scan the room and saw that there was a plastic bag near the bed along with his biker boots. He grabbed the bag and found his clothes in it and he threw them on the bed and quickly went through them. His Fighter's vest was semi-okay but the pants had a massive hole in the left pant leg and they were full of blood. The blood had dried the fabric around the hole and it looked nasty. Modo cringed a bit but quickly came to a conclusion that bloody pants were better than no pants at all and he ripped the gown off him, leaving him sitting naked on the hospital bed. He took his pants and carefully started to put the other foot into them, slowly so his injuries wouldn't make him pay for it. As the other foot was in he changed to put the other foot in as well and soon he took a deep sigh and slowly got up and pulled the pants up, carefully pulling the tail through the hole in the back, too. He was buttoning up his pants as he started to hear something and his ears twitched. Steps. Definately steps and most definately coming that way.

He quickly walked to the door that was closed and placed himself so that whoever walked in, would open the door so that he would left to be standing behind it. As the steps got closer he glanced around and saw that there was infact someone sleeping in the other bed and that person was Simson. Modo was to shout his name again or try to wake him up or whatever but it was too late as the door was opened and someone walked in, leaving Modo behind the door but as soon as he touched the door he pushed it close and raised his arm cannon at whoever had entered the room.

"Don't make any sudden movements." He lowered his voice to this growl that resembled a thunder.

The person in a white coat dropped her pen and papers and raised her arms with a startle, her back still towards Modo and Modo could now see that this "person" was infact a "she" and he faltered a bit, his arm cannon still pointing at the female's back. He felt a pang of guilt inside him mixed with confusion and panic. He didn't know what was going on, where he was and what had happened and whit all the crazy shit that has been going on since the day they had landed on Mars... He didn't really know who to trust anymore. But still, this went against everything he believed in and it did make him feel even more insecure about the whole situation.

"Turn around. Slowly. Keep your hands up." He ordered and the female did what he was told and Modo could now see the face of this female doctor who as soon as she set his eyes on him seemingly got even more scared and her eyes grew big and she took a step back.

"Easy now... Don't move." Modo said, still pointing his arm cannon at the female who had started to seem a bit shaky while seeing this tall and impressive-looking male standing there, his antennae brushing the ceiling and pointing his bionic arm cannon at her. Modo quickly scanned the woman with his eye and as he was maybe 50 percent sure that this woman was not going to hurt him or be able to hurt herself while trying to hurt him, he lowered his arm cannon and that made the woman to close her eyes in a slight relief but she still held her hands up and her look was still scared.

"Now, just 'cause Ah don't point a gun at ya, ma'am, doesn't mean that Ah trust ya, understand?"

"Yes..." The woman nodded and swallowed. Modo gestured that she could lower her hands and the woman did that, slowly and doubtfully.

"Who are you?" Modo asked with his low baritone voice and took a small and careful step forward and that made the woman to take a step back but she bumped her back against the bed end.

"Are you going to hurt me...?" The female doctor managed to ask and Modo shook his head.

"No, ma'am."

The woman nodded and gave him a careful look.

"I remember that Aprilia told me that you weren't going to hurt..." The woman started but suddenly Modo's eyes flashed red and the woman took a grip on the bed he found behind her, startling as she got scared all over again.

"How do you know Aprilia?! She's alright?!" Modo's voice became louder and it felt like the whole room shook with it and the woman shook her head.

"No, no, you've gotten that all wrong...! She's my friend!"

"Your friend?" There was a good amount of doubt on Modo's voice as his eye was still shining bright red and the woman's heart rate had started to beat faster.

"Yes, she's my friend!"

"If you're her friend then why you had me tied up then? What is this place?!"

"Look, I was scared, okay!" The woman raised her voice and suddenly she seemed to have gathered more courage as she took a better stand.

"And I said I know her that doesn't mean I know or trust you!"

Modo looked still doubtful and the woman sighed.

"Look, I was even invited to your wedding... Yeah, I heard that you two are getting married, so congrats, I guess..."

Modo's eye stopped blinking suddenly and he studied this female before him.

"Wedding?"

"Yeah..." The woman concluded, swallowing like suddenly doubting if it was okay to bring that subject up.

Modo looked thoughtful but then his whole demeanour changed. It looked like he all of a sudden was ashamed and couldn't really look at the doctor.

"Ah'm sorry Ah doubted ya, ma'am... Ah couldn't have known that you're her friend instead of being one of them..."

"Them...? Wait, why you suddenly believe that I'm telling the truth?"

Modo gave her a quick glance but walked past her and she took a hasty step away from him. Modo took his boots from the floor.

"Because... We haven't told anyone that we're gettin' married... No one knows that, except my mommah...So, ya have to tell the truth there.."

The woman studied him awhile but then felt how the adrenaline was slowly starting to leave her tense body. Modo sat down on the bed and started to put on his boots but suddenly stopped and gave the woman another a bit hesitant look.

"Ah really am sorry about scarin' ya like that... It wasn't my intention, ma'am, it's just that... Ah don't really know what happened or how this all happened..." Modo then pointed at his bare right side as he then got his boots on and he stood up again, casting a shadow over the female.

"That doesn't really justify the way Ah acted though...Ah'm sorry..."

The woman looked a bit sceptical but then she sighed and looked at Modo's stitches on his right side.

"You got two broken ribs. We had to use plates and screws to stabilize them..."

Modo listened to her and then gave a small snort.

"Nice, anymore metal in me and Ah'll be the tin man..." He talked mainly to himself and then noticed that while he had been so busy to get his pants on and hurry to ambush the intruder he had not buttoned up completely his pants or closed his belt buckle and his lower abdomen was now shown along with his apollo's belt. He quickly buttoned his pants and buckled the belt before pointing at the other bed.

"And my friend here?"

"Well, he lost his tail..."

Modo's look met with her's but then he suddenly remembered.

"Ah, yeah...Yeah, he shot that thing off..."

"I'm sorry, he... shot his own tail off?"

"We were in a bit of a tricky situation..."

"That I gathered... With all your bruises and broken bones..."

"Just another day at the office..." Modo joked as he put on his army green vest and the female doctor's eyes got a glimpse on a few patches on the vest that said "FF" and "Red Peace".

"You really are Freedom Fighters..."

"Well, Ah am... My friend here represents another team..."

"Aprilia never told me directly that he was dating a Fighter but I figured that must be the case..."

"Love can be found in the most unexpected places, Ah guess..."

"True..." The doctor glanced at his blooded pants and gave a little bit frustrated sigh.

"Are you really going to use those?"

"Well, it's either this or go stark naked..."

"Well, you're halfnaked already... You Fighters don't seem to invest too much money on the protective gears, hu...?" The woman rolled her eyes but then turned to look at the broken chains now littering the floor before the bed.

"I'm sorry but... How did you manage to escape the chains? There was even a lock..."

Modo gave a bit lopsided smirk.

"That really was a cute attempt... And for a future reference, if you're wanting to convince people that you're their friend and ya have good intentions, don't chain them to beds...That ain't right..."

The doctor gave a chuckle and then nodded, crossing her arms now feeling herself much more relaxed in his company.

"Right, okay... But like I said, I didn't know you and didn't trust you. Also, if I'm being honest your look does not scream "friendly and fuzzy".

Modo gave a huff.

"Ah hope you've comen to the conclusion that Ah'm one of the good guys and you don't have to be scared of me?"

"I guess we can say that..."

"And again, Ah'm sorry if Ah scared ya earlier...Aprilia won't be thrilled to find that out..."

"Well, I guess I'm sorry too, that I chained you up..."

"So...We're good, ma'am?" Modo held out his right hand.

"Sure, we're good..." The doctor nodded and shook his hand, aware of the cold metal against her skin.

"Oh, and thanks... for obviously helping me and my buddy here to get patched up..."

"Sure, no worries..."

Modo gave a warm smile but then frowned.

"Ah'm sorry but Ah didn't catch your name, ma'am...?"

"Shelly." The doctor touched her chest and Modo nodded.

"Thank you, Shelly. And Ah'm Modo, in case you ever want to file a report to Aprilia about my behaviour..." The grey furred giant gave a chuckle and then walked to Simson's bedside.

"So, when do you think he'll wake up"?

"Hard to tell.. Why?"

"Because we need to get the heck out of here..."

x

x

x

x

_Yup that was it, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and please write a comment!_

_Until next time, friends!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	17. Chapter 17 : Hunches and Doubts

_Hey you folks..._

_Thank you so much for your comments and private messages and all... Thanks for reading this story my loyal readers! And a big thank you for having the energy to actually follow this story even if I might have these long periods of time when I don't upload a new chapter in many weeks..._

_But, here I am again, with a new chapter... It's a long one again. I don't know if it's "Vlaatjee-long" but for me, a long one nevertheless XD_

_So, a couple of things about the next chapter... I really have grown to love writing about Harley, I don't know why, I just love that character. Also maybe some of you start to notice some darker turns in this story, concidering the Fighters' inner battles and all...I did name this story as "The Good, The Bad and the Rebels" so that might indicate where this is heading...I've always enjoyed writing about these lines between the good and bad. And sometimes the line is hard to draw... Well, we'll see where this all goes... We'll find out together :D_

_So, writer's block is over and it's time to continue with this story._

_Hope you guys like it and like always it would be really appreciated if you could leave a comment after reading, it will help me get through the writer's blocks faster and with more efficiency..._

_Peace out!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 17**

**Hunches and Doubts  
**

The beautiful burgundy haired and golden furred medic hurried the corridors inside the Headquarters. Beretta felt herself a bit nervous as she was peaking inside the rooms and kitchen and the main hall... She wasn't sure for whom she was particularly looking for but when she saw the ginger-coloured mechanic rushing towards her she stopped and opened her mouth.

"Harley..." Beretta started but the Martian mechanic, who was still wearing her greasy work overalls like that was the only outfit she owned, only raised her hand to her while rushing past.

"Not now!"

"I need to talk to you...!" Beretta raised her voice after her and first it looked like Harley couldn't care less but then she suddenly stopped and with a visible sigh, she turned around on her heels to face the other one of the medics they currently had in the HQ.

"..so?" Harley then shrugged anxiously her shoulders, like she was in a hurry to continue her run to where ever she was heading to.

Beretta looked around them but all the Fighters and rebel rats were all just chilling around the base and noone was in the hearing distance at the moment.

"What would you do if you had some suspisions over someone and that those suspisions might be very very important but then again you're not completely sure your hunch is right...?"

Harley only blinked at this and then gave a frusrated sigh.

"Well, I would say to _this person_ to just spill it out and ditch the stupid riddles and stop wasting my time!"

Beretta was a bit taken back by her behaviour but then again, Harley had not been showing her too much kindness throughout the time Beretta had been spending with the Fighters back in their base again. Well, she had not been in her best behaviour either after Rimfire had dropped her and Aprilia there but she had comen around... And she knew Harley from the days of war, she had only changed a couple of words with her back then but she had heard about this feisty mechanic who didn't necessarily always have her filter on when she spoke to people and Beretta had known a couple of medics who had ended up crying after Harley had been telling them straight... She had thought back then that the only reason the Fighters had not fired her difficult ass had been because Stoker had infact been in love with her, everyone had known that. And beacause she was one of the best mechanics out there and the Fighters respected her. Also, it couldn't have hurt that Harley was quite easy on the eye, especially in the middle of the war. And now, here they all were again, as Beretta was looking into those deep blue eyes of the ginger-coloured female who was still inpatiently glaring her back.

"Okay, so... here's what I think..." Beretta took a deep breath but then lowered her voice a bit.

"I think Mina had a relationship with Mace and that her kid is actually Mace's son!"

Harley stared at her, like she suddenly was the most curious looking animal but then she gave a heartful laughter and shook her head, like what she had just heard was the most idiotic thing ever.

"Man, I've heard some weird rumours around here but that tops it all!"

"I'm serious!" Beretta felt a bit annoyed but kept her voice down. Harley still looked like she didn't believe her but sighed and put her hand on her hip in a relaxed way.

"Why would you think that? And you're talking about _the_ Mace here, Mace the Traitor, the-rat-that-infiltrated-into-our-group Mace?"

"Yes! I'm talking about _the_ Mace! Mina showed me an old photo of her son and despite him being still a baby in that, I'm sure he is a rat. Well, a half-rat..."

"A rat? You're sure?"

"Ofcourse! Look I went to med school here as well, I think I know how to distinguish a rat from a mouse!"

"Okay, well, what makes you so sure that it's Mace's kid...? I mean, unfortunately there are thousands of rats out there...She might have slept with anyone of them..." Harley spoke not even trying to mask her hate towards the rats and chills went through her even when thinking about the possible love affair between a mouse and a rat.

"Just from the things she told me... about the father of her child, about the timeline... It all fits! She told us that her son would be five years old by now...Well, guess who joined you guys roughly six years ago?" Beretta asked.

Harley studied her in silence before opening her mouth again.

"It could be just a coincidence."

"But then again, it may not be..."

Harley was silently observing her still but then nodded thoughtfully.

"You told anyone else here about your suspisions?"

"No... You're the only one I've told..."

"I'm flattered..." Harley added sarcastically and that caused Beretta to make a face at her but Harley then eased up a little and shifted from one foot to the other, thinking.

"Okay, listen... Don't tell anyone about this... Not yet. When Stoker comes back, we can go to him and you can tell him what you just told me... He can decide what we're gonna do about that information..."

"Well, it's only a hunch...not a cold fact..."

"But if that hunch turns out to be a fact, there's someone in here, who has to answer a few questions...Again." Harley said and then only turned around and left.

x

x

The light in the ceiling flickered a moment before it became clear and steady again. Modo was looking at it, sitting on the only chair in the corner of the room but still pretty close to Simson's bed. Shelly, the doctor was hovering over Simson who was still unconscious and she ran some tests.

Modo let his gaze fell on the female doctor and he could felt a pinch inside him again. From the things it looked like Shelly was back on her normal self, well she seemed normal and relaxed, doing her job, Modo didn't know her so he couldn't really know what type of person she really was or detect any sudden changes in her personality like for example best friends could do.

The pinch inside him grew into this stronger coiling unpleasant feeling as he was regarding her still and he knew exactly what the uneasy feeling was about. It was because he had done something he had never done, something he had sworn to never to do. He had threaten a woman's life. He had pointed his gun at a woman. This small woman who had infact saved his and Simson's lives. Ofcourse Modo hadn't known that the moment the strange person had stepped inside the room (a storageroom situated in the basement of the Brimstone Hospital he had learned out later). The strange environment, the fact that he had been tied up and the fact that everything had went pretty much downhill from the moment they had stepped their biker boots back on the red Martian soil again with his two bros... It all had made him panic and the panic had numbed his judgement. And frankly, it made him sick. To hurt or threaten the lives of the women and children was a very big no-no in his books, and a mistake that people had to pay for if he ever found out about it. And now he had done the same thing and that was unforgivable.

And it was a painfully clear example of the things he had already told to Aprilia earlier when she had been confronting him... That the lines of the good and bad had started to blur. And that he had started to doubt the actions they had made and continue to make as Fighters. He had started to question whether or not the Fighters were the good guys here, if in a war there even could be anything good. He remembered that Aprilia told him it was all done for the greater good but Modo still doubted that there would ever be a good excuse to do bad things. He also knew that as a Fighter, it was dangerous to have doubts. Doubt meant more mistakes.

And he noticed him asking the same question over and over again now...If he was capable of betraying his own strong convictions, the beliefs that his own Mommah had taught him, who knows what he was capable of?

"Are you okay?"

Modo startled violently once he was dragged from his inner battles and raised his look to meet the slightly worried expression Shelly had while still standing beside Simson's bed. Modo cleared his throat.

"Yes." He answered with a small stutter in his voice even if he tried to keep it as steady as he could.

"You look pale..." Shelly stated and made a mental note that this big male who seemed to be gigantic even when sitting down had looked like a scared kid the second she had asked him a simple question but she quickly came into conclusion that this grey furred Fighter was only a bit shaken up after the traumatic events he had comen across with his rat friend.

"Ah'm okay." Modo only murmured back, nodding, trying to convince in a very poor way that he was alright but he had never been any good in disguising his true emotions. That made him the worst liar, too.

Shelly studied him, her other eyebrow raised. Her eyes then fell on his right side and she could see some blood running along his side and she quickly took a stack of paper towels and hurried to him. Modo only saw her running at him and he nearly was to leave his seat and flee but as she knelt down infront of him and pressed the paper towels against his side, on top of his fresh stitches, he gave a look to his right side as well.

"You're bleeding..." Shelly stated the obvious since Modo could see that now himself as well. The grey furred giant only cleared his throat and nodded and was to press his stitches himself with the stack of papers towels but Shelly firmly moved his hand away.

"I'm the doctor here... You just sit still..."

Modo studied her but then turned his look away like that way giving the doctor some privacy to do her work. He very seldomly argued with the women since he had learned out from the very early age that the women usually were right. Shelly gave him a look, now suddenly noticing how close they were from each other and she could easily see the dirt in his fur and the old scars he had all over his body and the holes and nicks that indicated the near-misses in his ears. From his ears her eyes continued to scan the black fabric that went around his head that made the eyepatch, to cover his left eyesocket. Modo was looking around the room and was completely oblivious of the female doctor's wandering eyes but as he turned his only working eye towards the doctor again, he met her look and Shelly quickly changed it back on the stitches again.

Shelly's mind had suddenly started to race as her thoughts were temporally turned back on the war the whole Mars had wittnessed just a couple of years back. The Plutarkian War had lasted from six to seven years, depending where one began to count. So the war had began around nine to ten years ago. Nine to ten years ago the man sitting now infront of her would have been quite a young man still. She found herself thinking what those eyes of him had seen and what that clearly suffered and damaged body had wittnessed and done. She could feel his tension radiating from him even if he looked relaxed. It was the inner tension, tension that only grew inside a man during the many traumatic and stressful situations and years. Even if he looked at ease, she could tell that from a one small noise or a word, he would sprang into action. These soldiers were like fine-tuned machines that never slept. And it made her a bit wary of him again, not because she thought he was a bad man, he seemingly was good-natured and well-behaving, most of the time that was...But there was something very unpredictable always with these soldiers that didn't really remember or know anything else outside the war fields, battles and death.

The doctor carefully let her look wander from his fresh stitches to his whole right side which was badly scarred and only partly to be seen under the Fighter's vest he had on. The area had healed though but still lacked fur in many places and the area was like a puzzle of grey fur and light pink scars. Following the scars her eyes finally fell on the bionic arm right next to her head.

She tried to be discreet with her goggle since she was a doctor after all and she had seen pretty disturbing things and she knew it was rude to stare but the shining and odd steel arm just caught her eyes and her attempt to be discreet failed.

"A missile."

She heard his low rumble to her right and she swiftly met his look but immidiately realized that he had noticed her stare.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to stare..."

"That's okay..." Modo talked warmly.

"Ah might sometimes forget myself that it's a rare thing to see a mouse sportin' a steelfin like that..."

"Does it hurt?"

Modo shook his head.

"Nah, even forget about it sometimes...Ah get ghost pains though...Then it feels like Ah'm havin' three arms which is pretty freaky..."

"...It's just that I've seen many prostheses on war veterans in here but I've just never seen a prosthesis like that..."

After a short silence that suddenly fell over them Shelly turned her eyes back on Modo, to study his expression as this was only observing her back. He then huffed quietly but nodded thoughtfully.

"Funny...Ah have never thought of that rusty piece of metal as a prosthesis.." He said the last word like tasting it, feeling the word in his mouth. Shelly's look was a bit doubtful.

"I'm sorry if I said something to upset you..."

"No, ya didn't upset me, ma'am... You're right. The main reason why Ah'm still having that thing on is because Ah'm right-handed so it really helps me with the daily routines to have both arms...Maybe it's a high time for us all to start speaking with the right terms and seeing things as they really are..." He then added enigmatically but it looked like he was talking mainly to himself as Shelly didn't really know to whom this "us" was referring to. So, she only lowered her voice a bit.

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

Modo only nodded back, he was brought up to think that if someone was acting genuinely, one didn't start to bicker over things, even if he did not like for people to feel sorry for him. He changed his look back on Simson again.

"Well...Ah'm only happy it wasn't my tail..."

Shelly gave the rat also a look and like remembering what she had been doing before he had rushed to his side dawned on her.

"Press these while I check on him again... The stitches are fine, they're just not taking it kindly that you're already up and running only five hours after the surgery...To which as a doctor I have to say that it is not a good thing and you should not do that."

"We Fighters make the worst patients, Ah've been told..."

"Yes, that is absolutely correct...Try to be still. I don't want you to bleed out and have to confront Aprilia about it..."

A slight smile appeared to etch Modo's facial features while hearing his sweetheart's name. Shelly gave him a glance over Simson's bed while checking his vitals and had to smile herself too.

"I'm glad that Aprilia found someone who smiles like that after hearing her name."

Modo blushed a little and lowered his look to gaze his boots but he suddenly felt the same sickening pinch inside him again. He gave a sigh and closed his eye, trying to ease his breathing which had become a bit unstable suddenly.

x

x

Primer pushed the cart along the forth floor. The search had been a failure in this floor as well, there had not been any signs on her Uncle and she had forgotten to hand out some of the patients their medicines and her superior had given her a long lecture and that had not left her in the best mood.

She had tried to see where the two Army soldiers had gone as well but she had lost them out of her sight nearly as soon as she had started to scan the forth floor, leaving her wondering where they might have gone and she had a nagging feeling that they were infact looking for the same persons and this was starting to resemble a race to who gets to find her Uncle first.

The sandcoloured young female cursed under her breath while pushing the cart, too lost in her thoughts to even smile at the patients anymore that were walking past her.

Where was he...?

She had heard that Uncle Modo had been back on Mars a few weeks now but she personally hadn't seen him yet. She felt a tiny pinch of jealousy for her brother, mother and grandmother who all had seen Modo already. Even her stepdad Radius had seen her Uncle and that fact just made her mad. Radius didn't even like Uncle Modo and he still got to see him? Life was not fair...

She would've loved to have been spending some good quality time with her uncle. During these recent years, she had only once seen him and even during the war her uncle had only rarely had the time to visit home. That made her a bit pissed-off. Family was important. Why he hadn't been visiting them more often? And had it really been that necessary for him to be on that stupid blue planet? Yeah, there must have been beautiful with all the water and all but still. This was their home, this is where her family belonged. Not onto some stupid planet that was giddyly orbiting the Sun with its' people wasting their abundent resources like there was no tomorrow. Yeah, Primer had read about the Earth and in what state it started to be in. For crying out loud, some planets had their resources stolen and never to be returned again and these guys were destroying their planet themselves... Life gets to be funny at times...

She sighed and stopped pushing the cart that was now nearly empty of all the meds that had been previously been stacked to it. She had searched all the four floors already and that meant that the only place she had not still checked was the basement, where some of the maintance stuff along with the heating systems and all were kept. And she did not have the access there. She tried to think of a way before she finally figured it out and took her mobile VidCom and dialled a number.

"_Primer?"_

"I need your help, nerd."

"_So, shoot." _Her brother's voice replied.

"I need you to hack into the hospital's database and get me the access to the basement..."

"_Hardly a difficult task."_

"Then do it already!" Primer snorted and ended the call. She cursed under her breath but suddenly stopped as she spotted the two Army soldiers walking towards her. She quickly turned her look away and turned to pretend to read the white board with that day's tasks written on it while the soldiers walked past her. She tried to casually and carefully look after them and she saw how these soldiers met with the head of the hospital. She couldn't hear what they were talking about and she was concentrated so deeply trying to hear what they were saying that when her mobile VidCom rang again she startled and took it out of her pocket and took the call.

"_Done."_

"...yeah? This fast?"

"_I told you, it's kid's play."_

"Well, that suit ya well then, twinster..."

"_Simple 'thanks' would be nice..."_

"Yeah, yeah...Listen, I was meaning to tell you but then got distracted while trying to look for our Uncle...It just seems that I'm not the only one looking for him. There came two soldiers here. They asked all these questions about the Fighters and it looks like they've been snooping around the hospital as well... They're currently speaking with the CEO..." Primer was keeping her voice down as she carefully tried to make sneak peaks towards the soldiers' direction.

There was a small silence on the other end but then Rimfire raised his voice a bit.

"_Listen, sis, you need to get away from there... Those guys are no good news..."_

"But...They're the Army...? Ain't the Army looking after us, the citizens I mean..?"

"_Oh, my gods, really, sis? I don't have time to tell you in how much danger you're in at the moment! Just get out of there! If they find out your Uncle Modo's niece then..."_

"But I wanna find Uncle! I'm not done with my search!"

"_No! Stop searching, Primer! It's too dangerous!"_

"It is not, I'm surrounded by people here, noone's gonna do me no harm! I'm gonna go and find my Uncle! And that's that!" Primer stated and then hung up the call and as she did that she saw the two soldiers suddenly looking at her direction and she quickly turned her look away. She could hear that her name was been called and she closed her eyes. Damn it! She stared at the whiteboard intensively, hoping that she had heard it wrong and that those men would just disappear soon... But ofcourse, she was wrong and she felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned to look straight into the eyes of the CEO of the Hospital.

"Nurse Primer...?"

"Hm?"

"I told these fine men that you'll show them around the hospital, they're looking for a few gentlemen that might have checked into as patients here today..."

"Oh?" Primer only voiced, like hearing about this the first time and turned her glance at the two soldiers who stood there their back straight and they nodded politely at her as they remembered her from the elevator.

"You're not doing anything special at the moment, are you...?" Her superior asked and Primer stuttered.

"Well, actually..."

"Good! Then it's settled!" The CEO clapped her hands together and left. Primer's look narrowed and if she could she would've thrown axes after her superior but she then gave the two soldiers another glance.

"Okay, this way..." She only said and pushed her cart into movement again as they were heading towards the elevators. She pushed the button and as the doors slid open they all three entered the lift. Primer was to push the button to the first floor but the other solder prevented her in doing so.

"We're going to the basement, miss..."

"The basement...? But I don't have the access to that..." Primer tried to be convincing even if she just had gotten Rimfire to get her the access to that floor. The soldiers gave each other a look and then the other one suddenly reach out to Primer, holding out his hand. Primer gave the hand a puzzled look.

"Your access card miss..." The soldiers asked and Primer, in some what reluctantly gave the card to the man infront of her and the soldier then placed the card to the reader and pushed the button to the basement. The doors started to slid close slowly and Primer pressed her eyes close and as she opened them she saw the two soldiers looking at her.

"Well, how about that, you got the access after all..."

Primer only stared at the men under her brows, silently. The lift nudged into movement and there was a silence in the elevator. Primer usually thought the lift was very quick but now it felt like it didn't move at all. The soldiers were looking at her back and then suddenly the other one stopped the elevator in between two storeys and Primer felt her heart to start beat faster but she still stared at the men.

"Where are they?" The other soldier asked.

"Who?" Primer's voice was weak.

"You know perfectly well, missy..."

"I don't know anything!" Primer raised her voice but it lacked the power.

"Where are they?!" The soldier suddenly banged his fist against the elevator wall just an inch away from Primer's head and this shook her head screaming.

"I don't know!"

The soldier quickly and forcefully placed his palm over her mouth to prevent her from screaming and gave the other soldier a look over his shoulder.

"Cover the camera!"

x

x

_bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam... _

Vinnie was banging the back of his head against the wall of the hospital as he was sitting on a bench near the back exit of the big building.

_bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam..._

Stoker, who stood a few metres away from him, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, slowly turned his head to him. The two of them with Seven were all waiting in the shadows of the big medical building. What they were waiting for they didn't really know.

"Stop that." Stoker told the white furred male and an annoyance was to be heard through his raspy voice.

_bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam bam..._

"Vinnie!"

"Wha'?"

"Stop it!"

"But I'm bored!"

"Well, you'll be braindamaged as well if you keep on doin' that...! Although I highly doubt there'll be much to damage in the first place..." Stoker muttered, turning his look back to face the uneventful scenery of another wall near them. Seven snickered for the last comment, sitting between them and laying his cheerful eyes on the white mouse who looked now like pouting next to him. The rat then gave Stoker another look.

"So, old man... What's the plan here...? I have to say that my buttcheeks are trying to tell me that they've soon lost their every bit of sensation from all this sitting..."

"There is no plan." Stoker only commented and they both heard a crash next to them and turned to give Vinnie a look who was at the moment sitting on the ground, feeling his sore behind after his little fall and landing but was now facing the old commander with his round shocked eyes.

"What?! No plan?! There is no plan?! I thought we were waiting for the grand attack!"

"Attack? Attack against what, Vinnie? The hospital? The nurses?" Stoker snorted and added.

"We're not here to fight!"

"But we could be! That's the whole point..!" Vinnie raised his bleeding voice.

"We're here for our comrades, Vinnie. To check that they'll be okay...We're not here to cause any trouble..."

Vinnie heaved in shocked, his eyes becoming so big they threatened to fall out of their sockets.

"Say what...?! This mouse was born to cause trouble! You can't keep this rocket from popping!"

"Well, I tell you to stay in your launch pad, hot shot! Pop it all you like in your own time!" Stoker raised his voice and Seven flinched next to him but Vinnie seemed just as nonchalant as ever, like he wasn't the one who was raising the old commander's blood pressures.

"Geez, don't stress yourself, grandpa... You gotta learn how to chill... You know how frowning makes ya look older..."

Stoker closed his eyes and started to count to ten. He had missed his three best fighters the past three years, seeing them only a handful of times during that time but in the moments like these he wished there would be more distance between them again. Specially with Vinnie, who was a very gifted Fighter but he was also very gifted in rubbing him the wrong way.

Suddenly they all heard footsteps coming their way and they all automatically moved their hands on their guns. As the source of the footsteps came around the corner everyone sighed and took their fingers off the triggers as they saw it was only Rimfire. The young male was holding a mobile VidCom in his hands, tapping it against the palm of his hand with a bit of a worried expression.

"Stoke..."

Stoker studied him a second before giving a nearly bored look back.

"Oh no...What did you do now?"

"I...may have done something stupid..." The young male began but Vinnie jumped to his feet and pointed at Rimfire with his thumb, giving Stoker a look.

"Now, wait a minute...! He gets to do something stupid but I can't...?!"

Stoker walked over to them and only gave a very meaningful glare to Vinnie but then turned his eyes back on this young male infront of him.

"What did you do?"

x

x

Everyone stepped away as Harley stomped her way through the mass of Fighters and Rebel Rats that were hanging around the Headquarters. Her mind was racing as she was still thinking about what Beretta had told her. That matter had to be investigated and Harley would put her mind into it as soon as she would find this runaway alien... Where on Mars had she gone? She would have had other things to do, she liked to remind herself. She did not want to babysit some souvenier babes the guys take home from their intergalactic trips...But she loved this raggety bunch of Fighters, and she adored the three males Throttle, Modo and Vinnie... And if they loved their little hairless creature then that meant she had to at least tolerate that female and right now she had a mission to find out where she was and, maybe even more importantly, why she had ran away...

But she had looked everywhere in the base and there had not been any traces of this female Earthling. Harley came to the garage and she sighed and crossed her arms, thinking. Where, oh where would she go if she would be a strange alien in a strange planet...? She let her eyes circle on the bikes and suddenly stopped and let her look wander on the bikes again. She was pretty sure there was one bike missing. She carefully walked over to the IQ-equipped machines and looked around. She looked and looked before then turning her gaze on the floor and there she saw the fresh tracks, leading out of the garage.

_Bingo!_ She thought and then walked over the big garage doors and pressed the button to open them and stepped inside this big cave the doors lead to. But there was noone there, only the dark sky was peaking from the smaller entrance of the cave, a dark hue that was starting to gently overpower Mars and slowly turning the day into evening. Harley took a few steps and inhaled, closing her eyes. It was a rare thing to have fresh air in their lungs since they were more or less spending their time under the ground, inside.

"Looking for me?" She suddenly heard and she quickly turned around and she saw Charley sitting on a rock, a bike beside her and a backbag to her other side. Harley took a few steps towards the Earthling but taking her time, like the auburn-haired mechanic would not have been the reason for her to get out here. Charley raised her eyebrow but then suddenly gave a small laugh and shook her head. Harley glanced at her, looking a bit surprised, now standing only a few metres away from the woman.

"You don't really like me, hu?" Charley only asked, giving her another glance. Harley had her arms crossed and she rocked on her heels before she then sighed and placed her hands inside the pockets of her greasy overalls, glancing around them.

"Haven't said that..."

"Sometimes one doesn't actually need to say anything..."

"It's not that I don't like you... Don't take it personally. I'm just having rather big trust issues..."

"So I've gathered..."

"Yeah, well... " Harley looked down at the hard stone ground beneath her boots. She then raised her look to meet hers.

"Care to share why you're sitting out here with a stolen bike?"

Charley grew quiet again and she scratched her neck.

"I guess I just panicked. Sorry for the bike..."

"Don't worry about it." Harley muttered and gave her a look.

"So, why didn't you run away?"

"I don't know. Guess I just realized that if I runaway from here there isn't actually anything or anyone out there waiting for me..." Charley talked, rubbing his black jeans with the nail of her finger.

"What about your folks back on Earth?" Harley asked.

"I haven't got too much family left... Noone that I feel close to anyhow..."

Harley nodded silently, observing this alien infront of her. She then let out a deep sigh and sat down close to her, using another rock as a chair.

"Look... I'm sorry if I was a bit of an... asshole earlier... I don't always mean the things I say, just so you know..."

"Yeah... Well, that's okay...For your information I'm pretty used to this foot-in-mouth-syndrome... But maybe I needed to hear those words to really figure it out what it is that I wanted... I've been a bit lost in here these past couple of weeks..."

"Sorry to hear that... "

There was a little silence.

"So, you stayed because there was nowhere else to go?" Harley asked carefully.

"No...I just realized that this is where my family is. I know it's fucked up, me being from another planet and all... but that's the way it is. Those tree are my family."

Harley gave a laugh and Charley joined in.

"Yeah, well this is one big fucked-up family that's for sure but hey, one more family member wouldn't hurt...Welcome on board!" Harley smiled at the Earthling who only smiled and nodded back. The auburn haired mechanic then got up and Harley followed the lead. Before taking the bike and the backbag back inside Charley gave Harley another glance.

"If it's okay... Could we keep this thing as a secret...?"

"My lips are sealed." Harley nodded and then waved at the camera and the doors began to slide open.

x

x

x

x


	18. Chapter 18: Tic Toc

_Hey everyone!_

_I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas! I was to upload a new chapter here for xmas but meh... My plan didn't quite work out..._

_So, here's a New Year's present instead!_

_Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed this story! It means a lot! really, can't express my feelings of gratitude enough..._

_So, keeping this short, here's the next chapter._

_Happy new year to all of you Biker Mice fans out there!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 18**

**Tic Toc**

The clock was ticking on the wall. _tic toc tic toc tic toc... _Throttle's eyes were on the pointers that seemed to be moving painfully fast. He could swear the sound the clock was making was louder than usual. He could feel how time was flying, it was like sand running through his hands while he could have given anything to make the clock stop ticking since time was not on their side at the moment. The more time it took for them to get their act together and figure out how to fight back...and against who they were to fight back...the less chances they had to survive. And there weren't anyone who could've helped them. Until Lieutenant Radius would gather the Army troops that were still loyal to Carbine... they were alone in this.

There were hardly even twenty Fighters left and with the few rebel rats that had joined them in their fight their numbers didn't reach even thirty even when combined. They were so outnumbered that there ought to be a new word for it. Throttle knew the odds weren't exactly in their favor at the moment. Far from it. He knew that if they didn't come up a plan and fast... It wouldn't take too long before they would be found or they made one mistake and it would all be over. No more Freedom Fighters.

The war was still on but the trick was, no one except the Fighters knew that it was so. Everything was happening in the shadows and Throttle hated to be in the darkness. When the enemy was hiding it meant that they too had to fight in the dark. And that meant dubiety. And if there was something Throttle hated as a leader, it was uncertainty. As a leader one was responsible of the others and that fact alone made the role a bitch in many ways. But Throttle didn't mind, he liked the responsibilities, or maybe he just had been so used to the role of the responsible one from an early age, maybe he had just learned to like or tolerate the position... but even so, he didn't mind the responsibilities if he only had the feeling that he was somewhat in charge of things. Which he wasn't at the moment, at all. Nothing was certain right now. He wasn't even certain whether or not he had the permission to lead the Fighters right now. Sure Stoker had seemed a bit distracted back in Olympus Mons when they had found Modo and Simson in relatively bad shape... And yes, Stoker had asked him to take his place some time ago...But when would this transition take place Stoker hadn't said. But someone needed to take the lead and Throttle had felt everyone's eyes on him. Yes, it had been widely recognized that in some sense he had always been Stoker's right hand, so to say... but as the Freedom Fighters, they never had had any ranks, like the Military did. They only had Stoker as a Commander and their Mentor and then there was this miscellanious group of Fighters... No fighter was above the other...Even Stoker himself had emphasized that he too was just one of the Fighters, he didn't want the Fighters to put him on some pedestal.

So. Here Throttle was. He had escaped the others to the monitor room that happened to be empty at the moment. He needed to think. He needed to have a moment of peace where he could just focus all his attention on this mess and it wasn't possible with all the Fighters and rebel rats hovering around, the loud heavy metal blasting through the radios and some Fighters had also decided that the main hall was a perfect place to start a wrestling match, too, to ease up the tension that was palpable at the moment inside the HQ... Suddenly Throttle understood why Charley had sometimes kicked their butts out of the garage to get some work done. They really were a vocal and distractive force...

He leaned back on his chair and lifted his legs on top of the table, crossing his arms, still staring at the clock on the wall. _t__ic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc._

He was sure that Mace had his dirty fingers in this all, but he was also sure that Mace was not really the one who pulled the strings. Someone was operating this whole thing, someone was watching this scene from above... But who?

Throttle moved a bit uneasy in his chair, trying to find a better position. Mace had his rat troops behind him but he needed the reinforcements also inside the Cave Mice Territory, otherwise someone would have noticed him lurking around, even if he would have used the tunnels that were apparently going around the desert and also under the Cave Mice Territory...Was the Army also in it? That would explain why somehow Mace's actions had not been detected, maybe he got free hands to do whatever he wanted...? But why would the Mice Army allow him to do that?

When he had gotten back to Mars with his bros Stoker had told them that the Mice Government wanted to get rid of the Fighters. Was the Cave Mice Government with Mace? If so, the Army was also in it. That's why they would have wanted to get rid of Carbine, put her in cell and persecute her of treason, to get her out of the way... Throttle could understand how her persistance and go-get-'em-nature would be a red clothe for these guys...

What about Major Rig and The Secret Army Division? Carbine had found photos of the Fighters from the Army archives but the tracks lead to this secret division and Major Rig. Maybe the Army and the Secret Division were more connected then it first seemed... maybe there were even more high-ranking officers in the Army that knew what was actually going on and they were part of this mess.

But did Mace also link to Major Rig and the Secret Army Division? If so, Mace could be the link between every entity that wanted to get rid of the Freedom Fighters. Throttle had to admit that it felt quite flattering to find out how many there were out there to hate the Fighters' guts... Man, they sure had pissed someone off... But one question still remained... Who was there to pull all the strings? He was sure it couldn't be Mace, even if he would be the link to every enemy force there was... Mace might be a sneaky bastard but he wasn't that smart to have masterminded this whole thing and even if he had... he lacked the money to which Throttle was sure this all came down to. Money. That devilish product that seemed to turn normal people into monsters and alleys to enemies...

What he had missed? What was the trick here?

Throttle rocked in his chair a while, still looking at the clock's pointers, thinking hard. He felt like almost nothing had changed since the days of war. And Stoker himself had said that the war was far from being over.

_t__ic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc_

Maybe nothing has changed.

tic_ toc tic toc tic toc tic toc tic TOC_

Throttle stopped the rocking and placed his feet on the floor.

The Plutarkians.

x

x

"Ugh! This is boring, man!" Vinnie grunted annoyed as he was walking next to Stoker but just an inch behind him still as they were both walking the hospital corridors.

"I thought that you were hungry for some action...If not, you're free to go wait back outside..." Stoker mumbled back, feeling every patients' eyes on them. They hardly blended in with their combat attire and ragged looks that told about countless fights to everyone who could spot their bruises and cuts on their faces, necks and arms. Stoker only wished that they didn't recognize them as Freedom Fighters, for once he cursed that his mug was a familiar to nearly every citizen and he tried to keep his look casted on the floor, not showing his face too much as they were walking fast the long hallways with Vinnie.

"Yeah, action! And walking does not count as action in my books! We're heroes, we should not need _to walk." _Vinnie snorted back, feeling the people's eyes on him and his mask. He started to feel uncomfortable with the burning looks he got and he was not used to that. He was used to love the attention he usually got but now he only felt anxious about it for some reason he did not care to explore further.

"Well, we have no choice... We have to find our two comrades before the Army does..."

"Well, can't we try and find them with a bit more oopmh?!"

"No. We're not adding any more oomph. If possible, we need to reduce the oomph to minimum... I'm sure someone will call the guards on us anytime now..."

"Whatever, you've gone a lot less-exciting in your older days, grandpa..." Vinnie muttered but then as they still contoninued walking he heaved a bord sigh.

"This is soooo boring... Who invented walking, anyway? We should've grabbed our bikes and dashed through these stupid hallways! Now that would have been a biker mice style to crash this joint!"

"We're not, and I can't stress this enough, crashing up a hospital, Vincent."

"I know, I know! I didn't mean people dying and all that, just...trying to make this more interesting, 's all!"

"Well, don't."

"Hey, why did we leave Rimfire and Seven to wait outside?"

"I thought you'd be happy that a fewer people shared your spotlight..."

"I don't mind sharing the spotlight! I'm a generous mouse, a giver by nature!"

"Yes, you keep giving me headaches that's for sure...Well, Rimfire has done enough damage as it comes, he can sit this one. We try to locate his sister too, so he would've had his emotions in the way to disturb him to be cautious...And well, Seven is a rat, no way hiding that tail and that would've caused more attention than our handsome looks..."

"Yeah, people just can't get enough of my dashingly charming features, that's for sure!" Vinnie nearly forced himself to add as he still felt uncomfortable with all the looks but he tried to press the feeling down. He was the baddest mammajammer in this side of the asteroid belt after all, the coolest kid in town, anxieties were for losers. He cleared his throat.

"Just out of curiousity... What happens if we do find Big Fella and we have to tell him that we couldn't find his bike? I mean Lil' Hoss is still missing..."

"Well... We're not telling him that, not yet..."

"Ooh, you mean lying?"

"No, not _lying_, just not telling the whole truth..."

"Hm, that sounds to me a lot like lying..."

"It's not lying..."

"Okay, Pinocchio..."

Stoker sighed irritably but asked anyway.

"What's a Pinocchio?"

"Just some tale on Earth about a boy who's nose got long after he lied..."

"Why?"

"I don't know, perhaps he had a condition..."

"Anyway, we're not gonna tell Modo that we couldn't find Lil' Hoss, not yet... He'd just wanna go back to Olympus Mons to search the bike...And gods know if that's what he wants to do we won't be able to stop that train..."

"I don't feel good about lying to my bro, though..."

"It's not lying...! Okay, look, if he asks, you just hold your tongue, got that? I'll handle it...The last thing we need is for Modo to try and rush back out there... We really should all just get back to the Headquarters, as fast as possible and think about our next move...And pray it won't be our last..." Stoker muttered.

"I hope the next move will have a lot less walking involved...We have been doing this mindless exercise forever now and we haven't spotted even one grey hair of the Big Guy... What are we looking for here exactly?" Vinnie sighed, looking around.

"Rimfire told us that Primer wanted the access to the basement... We're looking for the door that could take us there, the staircases to the basement or something..."

"Maybe there's no door..."

"Pft! Ofcourse there's a door...! There's always a d..."

"What?"

"Vinnie! You're a genius!"

"Hey, I'm more than just the great looks, sweetheart...!"

"We should check the elevators..."

"Why...?"

"Just come along..."

"Ugh! Yes, _let's walk _some more, why don't we..._"_

They had to search some time before Stoker spotted the elevator and they rushed to it and then pressed the button to open the doors and once they opened he stepped inside and then pointed the buttons on the shiny wall.

"See?"

"...uh, yeah?"

"One can access the basement with the elevator..."

"How exciting..."

Stoker pressed the button but there became only a message on the little screen, "access only with the authorized ID card."

"Oh, heck... It says we'll need a..." Stoker started but took a startled step back as Vinnie grabbed his hand gun quicker than it would have taken Stoker to tackle him.

"Got the access right here, baby!"

"Vinnie, no!"

The laser gun was fired and the fire hit the buttons and blasted a hole in the wall. Stoker hit Vinnie on the back of his head.

"Did your mother dropped ya on your head while ya were little?!" But he hastily peaked on the hallway between the two open elevator doors. For some reason no one had heard a thing, it was already too noisy inside the busy hallways of the hospital. Stoker sighed and shook his head, giving Vinnie a stern look.

"What?" The white furred male only asked innocently but then pointed the hole in the wall where colourful chords were now peaking out.

"Look! We can just switch the right chords and the lift will take us to the basement! Easy!"

"Oh, I didn't know you knew anything about electrical engineering..." Stoker's voice was full of surpressed anger.

"I...Well...No?" Vinnie grinned back, looking sheepish.

"So how were you exactly planning on selecting which chords to switch then?" Stoker crossed his arms.

"Eenie meenie miney moe?" Vinnie tried and Stoker only rolled his eyes and then got his radio.

"Rimfire?"

"_Stoker? You found them yet?"_

"Nope... But our trigger-happy friend here managed to destroy the elevator... We need some guidance...So walk us through how to proceed from here..."

x

x

"What...Where...am I...?" Simson suddenly tried to open his eyes but the light in the room hit him and he pressed them back close again.

"Man...too bright...When did the Sun move this close to Mars...?"

"Hey...Look who finally decided to wake up...!" Simson heard a low rumble near him and was first a bit surprised and maybe scared of this voice that didn't first ring any bells and he still tried to adjust to the light in the room before his eyes finally focused on this big grey furred mouse sitting beside his bed. He was wearing a dark vest and red camos and he looked like he had just woken up under a massive pile of rubble and ran through the barbwire so, in other words, the giant looked like he had had some better days. Despite how he looked though, he had a wide smile on his face. Then it all came to him again.

"Oh...It's you..." Simson muttered but managed to bring a small chuckle.

"Do Ah hear a hint of disappointment...?" Modo chuckled back.

"Nah...Guess this just means that I ain't dead, right...?" Simson half-jokingly asked while trying to lift himself to a sitting position, half-jokingly in a sense that his head was still blurry and he didn't really know where he was and how he had ended up here.

Modo gave a small but deep laughter.

"Well, if this is the after-life we've been screwed..."

Simson huffed back.

"Yeah, well...Don't you mice believe that you'll evaporate into some small particles or some shit...?"

"Something like that..." Modo muttered humoured.

"Hm, well count me out of that nonsense... When I die, I wanna go back to haunt people..."

Simson got himself to sit upright but then made a cry of pain and he had to turn himself to lie on his side.

"Man, did someone just bite my ass...? Gods, it hurts..."

"Yeah, about that..." Modo cleared his throat, praying that Simson would remember himself that he had lost his tail and he didn't need to bring him up to speed on that matter...

Simson moved his hand to his backside and after feeling it sometime he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"Oh yeah..."

"Yeah..."

"I shot my own tail off, didn't I?"

"If it's any help, that was a bad-ass move..."

"Thanks." Simson muttered but let out a sad sigh and dropped his head on the pillow.

"For Deimos' sake..."

"Yup..." Modo nodded and a small silence fell into the room. There wasn't really anything Modo could say or do at this point to make the rat feel better. He had been there himself, he had lost his limb and he knew that it would take much time for the man to get used to it. Or even get in terms with it. It had taken him a lot of time and he knew he wasn't fully in terms with it himself either. To be used to something was different than accepting it. And the fact that his right arm had been replaced with the bionic arm made by the derranged Doctor Karbunkle did not really help.

Simson turned his head while still lying down on his side and looked around him carefully, the silence only growing. Modo didn't know how long they had been just hanging there in total silence, only listening the lights lightly flickering in the room before Simson finally, after swallowing, asked him a question.

"So, what is this place? A closet?"

"Close, Doctor Shelly said that we're in the storage room, in the basement of the Brimstone Hospital... Guess this is the V.I.P. Suite even if it's missin' the minibar and the yacuzzi..." Modo tried to lift the mood while letting his eye wander in the place too.

Simson gave him a look.

"Shelly?" He raised an eyebrow.

"The doctor that patched us up..."

"So, it's a she, hu..?"

"Yeah..."

"Was she a good-looking?" Simson asked with a grin, clearly glad that he found something else to focus on than his lost limb, and Modo only scratched the back of his head, looking a bit awkward.

"Ah don't know...Ah guess?"

"Ya guess? Why, you kept your eyes closed?" Simson snorted and Modo turned his look on him.

"No, but Ah ain't walkin' around assessin' females either..."

Simson only raised his brows while giving the room another glance.

"Looking ain't hurtin' noone..."

"Well, Ah've promised to keep my eyes not wanderin'..."

"It's easier for you, you only have got one eye..." Simson gave a light chuckle and despite Modo been happy to see his pal's mood had turned slightly to better, he still couldn't let it be.

"Yeah, well that's one more than you've got tails at the moment..." He rumbled back.

"Autsch, too soon, man..." Simson muttered, on the verge of being actually hurt even if he tried not to show it. Modo observed him and then sighed.

"...Sorry..."

Another silence. Simson then changed his position a bit and gave the grey male sitting beside him a look again.

"So, you and that lil' blonde back at the HQ then...You're serious about her?"

Modo raised his look to meet his, looking a bit surprised and Simson gave a chuckle.

"Hey, I've got eyes, okay! Either you're together or then the doctor is giving you a way more attention than she should and I'm not entirely sure her actions follow the doctor's ethics..."

"Right..." Modo chuckled back. He was quiet for some time but then sighed, scratching his brow.

"Ah asked her to marry me."

"Hey, congrats, man! That is pretty serious then! Wait, she said yes, right?"

"Yeah..." A slight smile appeared on Modo's lips but it disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

"Well, ain't we happy about it..?" Simson tried to keep the conversation alive.

"Sure, Ah mean yeah, she's the woman of my life, Ah want to marry her but..." Modo stopped as he felt suddenly awkward for speaking his mouth like this to a rat he had known only about a week. Simson huffed with a smile.

"Hey, time's precious... You've only have so much time together. Take it from someone who lost his love, his family..." Simson's voice fell to a whisper and Modo turned his look back on the rat who suddenly looked sad and lost. Modo was to say something to confront him but he then remembered something and reached out to the pocket of his vest.

"Ah almost forgot...Ah've got somethin' for you..."

He then took a photo out of the pocket and gave it a glance to make sure it was still in somewhat okay condition before handing it to Simson.

"Here."

Simson looked a bit clueless but took the photo and as soon as his eyes were set on it, he recognized the photo and he turned his baffled look back to Modo, his eyes full of amazement.

"This is the photo of my family...I had this on our base' fridge door..." Simson started, clearly not really comprehending how it was that Modo had that photo suddenly. The grey furred male only nodded back.

"Yeah, ya told me about your family back at your base and when they started to bomb us Ah just grabbed the photo...I didn't even really register what Ah did...Ah just thought that ya should have it... Ah had forgotten about it until now..."

Simson was studying the photo in his hands, feeling the paper, letting his eyes wander on the picture, on the female and two children captured inside of it. He had to swallow to keep his emotions checked.

"Thanks." He only said and bit his lower lip. He gave Modo a look and the big male seemed now a bit shy again but he gave a warm smile back before he turned his look away but his ears suddenly perked up and twitched violently as they both heard a clanging sound from behind the door, from the presumable hallway behind it.

x

x

"Lemme go! Youre hurtin' me!" Primer grunted as she was trying to free herself from one of the soldier's grip but it was in vain, the guy was double her size. She had managed to knock down a trolley though, as she had kick it accidentally while trying to get herself free from this unforgiven grip the other soldier had on her.

"Keep her quiet! If those two wounded rebels are here we need to have an element of surprise..." The other soldier barked at the other one.

"No! You're not gonna hurt my Uncmhmmmhm...!" Primer was silenced as the soldier placed his palm over her mouth and only gave the other Army trooper a look.

"Has Major Rig contacted?"

"No, noone has heard of him...Noone knows where he is..."

"What about Mace? Does he know we've got these two anarchists soon captured and locked up?"

"No... Last time we heard about him was when he left the Army Base... One of the rats gave us a call that these two rebels were possibly brought in here...Anyway, the reception down here in the basement is not that good, we can't contact him now..."

"We take these two to the Army base?"

"Well, we didn't get any confirmation from Mace but surely that's the plan... I don't think he wants them to run around free just when he is this close to exterminate all of the Fighters once and for all...And I heard the Desert Base is destroyed so these guys can't be brought there either..."

"Good thing you ran the background check of this Modo fellow, we got us a good bargain here if things get complicated..." The soldier who dragged Primer chuckled.

"Yeah, if they try anything we'll use her as a leverage...She'll make a pretty cute mouse shield too.."

x

x

To say that Mace was furious would be an understatement. As he was driving the tunnels under the Martian deserts full-speed with his black bike he was grasping the handles so forcefully his knuckles had turned white.

The Plutarkians had given him a month to destroy the Freedom Fighters. _A month!_ He was not stupid, he knew that would be a very difficult task to do in that time span. Mainly because the workforce he had been given and gotten was useless getting things done nowadays it seemed... Ever since those three airheads had comen back to Mars things had taken a turn to worse, and his victorious plan suddenly had deflated.

During the most recent years The Secret Army Division led by Major Rig had succeeded in capturing most of the Freedom Fighters and even making many of them to "disappear"... But now, what was left of the Fighters were freed and back in business again. And it seemed that while destroying the Secret Desert Base, the Fighters had kidnapped Major Rig, too. Those hypocrites. They were calling themselves as the Freedom Fighters, declaring that every man deserved to be free while same time taking a man's freedom...Well, it's nice to see how even the most dedicated men can fall...

Luckily the Secret Army Division got to lower their numbers, now there was only a handful of the Fighters left but Mace knew they weren't to be underestimated still. The Freedom Fighters had always been resilient ones, no matter what... It was like trying to kill cockroaches...

He knew it was time to amp up the plan, to fight with all he's got. He did got the numbers behind him, and so were the odds too. Luckily the Fighters had enemies and people that wanted to get rid of them, for example their own Mice Government were afraid of this anarchist group that could interfiere with their rule over the Mice Territories, so they had labelled this group of rebels as public enemies and it meant that if they ever showed their faces inside the Mice Territories the Army had the permission to try and capture them.

But the Fighters had not located their Headquarters inside the Mice Territories at the moment and they didn't really shop at the local farmer's markets either... That's why Mace needed Major Rig's Secret Army Division that were like hired guns that obeyed only the money and luckily the Plutarkians did got plenty of that.

Mace gave a sigh. After this all was over... He would get to enjoy his life in some faraway planet... He wanted to get as far as possible from anything that resembled red sand.

Everything had gone down the drain as the Plutarkians had started to strip-mine Mars over ten years ago. He couldn't even remember how the planet had looked like before the war, before the invasion... Mars had been destroyed, utterly. There wasn't anything left anymore. He couldn't have known or perdicted that it would come to this far, not in a million years... He had only thought about earning a little money, he didn't think that it would end up like this... Him being a damn puppet to these fishfaces. And an outcast to his own people, the rats. Sure he had his own small group of rat troopers that were still loyal to him... But he knew that the rat population didn't think too highly of him and they were infact afraid of him. Who could blame them? He had made some mistakes, mistakes that had caused his people's trust.

To infiltrate into the Freedom Fighters as a spy for the fishfaces had sounded like a fun play... He hadn't really liked that bunch of biker soldiers, he couldn't really point his finger to tell why was that... There had been something obnoxious about them and their carefree attitudes, like the war was just a big party to crash. And he had been fairly young back then, he hadn't thought much about it. It had sounded like an easy job and easy money.

Then Mina had comen into the picture...

Mace was dragged from his memories as someone tried to contact him. He pressed the button on the side of his helmet and answered.

"Yeah?"

"My two best soldiers are at the moment picking up the two wounded ones from the hospital. Just informing you, sir."

"Sorry?"

"Just informing you that..."

"You imbeciles!"

"Sir?"

"The Army is always making things worse! I don't want to catch them!"

"But..."

"Call them back! Abort the mission...!"

"But..."

"Abort the mission!"

Mace shouted and ended the call, giving an annoyed sigh and a grunt. Those damn enthusiastic Army troopers... He's got a solid plan to capture the Fighters but in order his plan to work he needs the two wounded ones taken back to their Headquarters since the other one has got a microchip planted on him. The Fighters would lead him straight to their hiding hole themselves...

x

x

"Hi there..."

Aprilia startled a bit but raised her look from the metallic tray full of medical equipment that she was at the moment cleaning and saw the auburn haired mechanic standing quite close to her.

"Well, hello..." Aprilia gave a warm smile back and then as she observed this alien creature infront of her she then stopped what she was doing and gestured Charley to take a seat on the near-by hospital bed. As Charley looked a bit cautiously at the offered seating option Aprilia gave a giggle.

"Don't worry, noone has died on it... And we do pride ourselves for keeping things clean and sterile in here..."

"Right..." Charley blurted now looking a bit ashamed but sat down on the bed, looking around.

"So...How are you holding up?" Apilia then asked. Charley scratched her neck and shugged her shoulders.

"Well, I tried to flee from here... So I guess that's not a good sign..." She sighed, although remembering that she would've liked that to remain as a secret that only now Harley knew of, there was something about the short curvy doctor that told her that her secret will be safe with her and that she would not judge.

Aprilia nodded, a knowing look on her face before she took a seat next to her but not too close.

"I'm sorry..."

"Why? You haven't done anything to cause … whatever mess is inside of me..." Charley blurted but Aprilia only shook her head.

"No, I mean... I'm sorry that you have to witness and experience this mess right here, on our planet... Mars really is not the most ideal place to live or be right now."

Charley gave her a look and only nodded back. Aprilia gave a sigh and took her hand to hers.

"But...If this all ends, _when _this all ends and our planet will get a chance of peace again... I'd love for you to see the planet when this all is over... It'll be different."

"What do you think happens to the guys, to all these Fighters once the war is over?" Charley carefully asked.

"Nearly half of our population is serving the planet as soldiers...Mars is the planet of warriors. It has always been like that. What happens after the war is anyone's guess... It comes down to our Government and how it sees the role of the Fighters..."

"You think they could be facing charges?"

"I don't know." Aprilia answered, looking away.

"But...Do you think they'll be okay? After this all ends? Okay like...mentally?" Charley gave her a careful glance.

Aprilia looked her deep into her eyes and Charley could detect some sadness in them before the light brown furred doctor turned her look to Charley's hand she was still holding. She gently squeezed her hand before letting it go and placed her both hands on her lap, looking at them.

"I don't know." Aprilia only answered back.

x

x

x

x


	19. Chapter 19: You Could Just Come Home

_Oh man, sorry guys for keeping you waiting, again!_

_I was just so super busy with other things although I kept going through this chapter over and over again in my head until I finally had the time to just sit behind the computer and start typing! And also, this chapter was so hard to write, I don't know why... I must've written it three or four times over before I was finally please with it. And spoiler-alert, it's only one continuous long scene... Don't do those too often but it was kinda fun... But here it is, finally! Chapter 19, ladies and gentlemice!_

_If you can after reading it write a few lines and comments that would be super-duper awsome!_

_Thanks again for everyone who has been reading and commenting and thanks for the favs and glad to see new faces too! You guys are awsome!_

_So, on with the story!_

_Peace out!_

-SpaceFlora

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 19**

**You Could Just Come Home**

"Quickly! Ah hear steps!" Modo hurried Simson who jumped out of his bed although still feeling very lightheaded and sore but the second he was standing on his two bare feet he fell on the floor like a bag of sand potatoes in his hospital gown. Modo turned his head as soon as he heard the sound Simson's body made while making a contact with the floor and he raised his eyebrow, looking worried.

"Ya okay?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Simson grunted, yet still making the "hurt face" but then gave a brief look on his backside and the stump that was all that was left of his tail and what was now wrapped in a clean bandage.

"I guess my balance is now a bit off..."

Modo didn't quite catch up right away what Simson meant by that but as he followed the rebel rat leader's look he quickly understood the situation and cleared his throat. Ofcourse, as babies the mice and rats learn to walk using the tail as a balancer and now, Simson had lost his. It would take some time for him to learn to walk properly without it and they didn't really have time right now for that.

"Right..." Modo tried to think what to do but then heard another sound from the hallway, he could hear that whoever was coming to their way was already very close. He heard also doors being opened and closed, so whoever these guys were, they were searching for something, or someone.

"Well, just tell me what d'ya need...!" Modo's voice struck as an unpatient bark that was not like him, he usually was more calm and mild-tempered (most of the time that is) but concidering the circumstances even he had started to become agitated by this whole mess.

"What I need is a damn tail...! But I guess I'll have to manage with some support..." Simson muttered.

"Support like...?"

"How about emotional, wise guy...? I mean support like a walking stick or something!" Simson was getting up again and he looked wobbly as he tried to maintain his balance.

Modo looked around the room but couldn't really spot anything that could be handy to Simson at the moment.

"Ah don't..." He started, still trying to figure out but then heard steps very near the door to their room and he started to panic.

"Look, just hide, okay!" He kept his voice low.

"Hide?!" Simson snorted with disgust.

"Yes, hide! Ah'll take care of this!"

"I'm not gonna hide...!" Simson started.

"Look, we ain't got time to argue here!"

"I'm a soldier, I'm not hiding!" Simson said and tried to look as dignified as he could in his hospital gown.

"Simson!"

"Well, I won't!"

"Just hide, damn it!" Modo grunted back as they both lowered their volumes as mere whispers and sushes.

"Read my lips Big Mousie: I won't hide!" Simson said while gritting his teeth, still trying to look for something that a) would keep him standing up and b) could be used as a weapon as his guns he had had on him before the flood had happened were nowhere to be found.

"Don't be difficult, just go!" Modo's eye started to glow, he did not enjoy this little game that was only distracting them from what they really should be doing which was : getting ready to fight.

"No!"

"Fine! Stay there and get the first bullet, see if Ah care, ya damn rat...!" Modo's eye glowed even brighter and he hid himself behind the door again, still trying to mime at Simson to go hide but the steps were now so close that he took a deep breath and then the door flung open to cover his view of the room but as soon as he heard three pair of steps stumbling in and the unfamiliar voice simply stating:_"Hey, where's the other one...?!" _he closed the door and attacked the two men from behind, only breifly registering that a young female escaped the other Army soldier's grip and hid in the corner, making herself small and trying to cover herself with her slender arms.

Modo kicked the other soldier in the kneecap to make him fall on his knees with a cry while grabbing the other one into a choke hold from behind, just trying to buy him a nanosecond to figure out what to do with these two soldiers who clearly did not have good intentions for him nor Simson as the one he had in his unforgiven grip tried to kick him to his shins and fought with everything he got but the harder he fought the harder Modo's grip became. The other one was now back on his feet and charged towards Modo again and as he jumped on him and his fellow trooper, all three of them ended up on the floor with so loud bang that everyone in the room felt the whole room shaking and things fell from the shelves. Modo still had the other one in a tight grip but the second trooper started to pound him in the head and Modo tried to reach his leg with his tail and managed to wrapped it tightly around his calf and yanked him on his back and elbowed him to his face so they all heard a crack when the trooper broke his nose and fell on his back, splashing blood around them. Modo suddenly realized that the man he had had on a choking grip became limp and he quickly took his arm away from the man's throat and pushed him off him, turning him to face the floor. It was all over in mere seconds and Modo was breathing hard, looking at the two soldiers now lying, unconsciously presumably, around him, blood dripping from the other one's face and silently spreading under his whole head.

"Well...Damn..." Modo heard Simson to open his mouth and he raised his look to him. The rat was only sitting on his bed, looking at the two soldiers in a relaxed manner, playing with the gun he had picked up from the floor, nodding impressed and then met Modo's look.

"You've got something in here..." Simson only added pointing his own left corner of his eye and Modo touched his left brow and then brought his fingers infront of his eye and saw the red blood dripping from them. Simson changed his look to the corner of the room where he could see a small and slender looking female, in a nurse's uniform, staring at them back, with big frightful eyes, covering her mouth with her hands as if to prevent herself from screaming. She shook and just stared at the two bodies now lying on the floor in a small puddle of blood. Modo noticed Simson's look and now remembered the female, too and followed Simson's example and turned his head to the corner of the room and once his eye was set to this girl a pang of worry washed through him.

"Shit..." He cursed so silently that even Simson didn't hear that and he quickly got on his feet, wiped the blood off his face to his vest and rushed to the small female, still curled up in the corner, a horrified expression on her youthful face.

"Primer?" Modo lowered his baritone to as calm and soothing as possible but given the circumstances and what had just happened he didn't quite succeed in that. Instead he knelt down beside her, scanning her body as if to find out whether she was physically injured or not.

"You know the girl?" Simson asked and Modo only gave him a glance but didn't answer as he turned his worried look back on his niece.

"Primer...? It's me... Don't worry, everythin' will be okay..." He was still a bit of out of breath as he was studying his niece whose' own set of eyes were still glued to the rather unpleasant scene in the middle of the room.

"...It's okay...You're safe now..." Modo kept his voice down and he was to touch her shoulder, to maybe calm her down but she shied away his touch and turned her brown eyes on him. There was fear in her eyes. Fear and disbelief.

"They're not gonna hurt ya anymore..." Modo continued and the girl only nodded back without answering and it seemed that she didn't even fully register what he had just told her. Modo suddenly felt a wave of mixed emotions go through his body while looking into those brown eyes he knew so well, even if there had been years between their last meeting. Obviously she had been scared of these men who had dragged her in here for reasons Modo did not really know...But what he had done himself just seconds ago was not really something he would've wanted his niece to witness either. He knew he had maybe gone a bit over the top with the fight and things had maybe gone a bit on the brutal side but he hadn't known how armed these guys were and he had had to fight for himself and for Simson who couldn't at the moment defend himself. And because things were as they were at the moment, he did not want to take any risks...So, he had done like he had been taught, he had fought back like his life had depended on it, because it actually had. It could be him and Simson lying there on the floor at the moment...And Primer... Modo felt anger building up inside him even with the thought of someone hurting his niece but he still tried to stay calm, for her sake. To show her that everything was okay. But the young female did not look okay.

"Are you hurt...?" He asked carefully, trying to get some kind of answer out of her, trying to get her to talk, to say anything. Maybe she was hurt but Modo just couldn't tell. Primer swallowed and only shook her head, lowering her look, fumbling with her shaking hands. Modo hesitated but then moved his own much bigger palm to cover her hands. This time the young female did not shy away. Her hands felt colder than his own and he could feel them shake. Looking at her, Modo could feel his heart drop. He didn't want anything more but to take the girl into his arms and hug her until he felt her heart to become calm again, until he could feel her breathing back to normal, like he had done while the twins had been kids, when they had played it too rough and one of them or both had ended up crying, he had taken them to his arms and soothed them before they would fall asleep or smile and laugh. But he hesitated to hug her now as he didn't know whether this would only scare her more. Modo was aware that his appareance wasn't the best right now, with his blood-dried clothes and injuries covered with bandages and now his left brow was open, and he could blood dripping from his brow...He quickly wiped the blood away again, using his arm.

"Primer..?" He still tried but there was a falter in his voice and he was being interrupted by Simson's voice behind his back.

"Gee, ya ain't messin' around, Big Guy... I think this one's dead..."

Modo stayed silent as he still looked at Primer but Simson's words echoed in his head along with his increasing pulse but he still tried to remain unaffected by it. He gave a look over his shoulder to see Simson hunching down by the two soldiers, searching them for guns but turned his look back on Primer and gave a sigh.

"Look, Ah'm sorry ya had to witness that... Ah didn't know you'd be with them...Ah didn't know it was you..." He started but suddenly Primer turned her eyes on him.

"You killed them?" Her voice was tiny but the words felt like she had to push them out of her mouth.

Modo met her eyes. He didn't know what to say to her but he didn't want to lie either. But maybe Simson was wrong, after all he wasn't a doctor although during the war, people ended up pretty good with checking the vitals...

"That man said one of them is dead..." Primer continued, raising her voice.

Modo looked at her and her brown eyes and then only shook his head and turned his look away. He'd rather not have this conversation, not right now and not with her of all people. But one thing remained clear, they were still in danger and they needed to leave, right now. So, he turned his look back on her and changed the topic.

"Primer, Ah'm sorry love, but we need to leave, right now, it's not safe here. There could come more people like them any second..." Modo's voice then became more determinated because they really needed to start doing something but Primer cut him off.

"People like _them..._?"

Modo raised his eyebrow, not really knowing where she was getting with that but Primer did not give him too much time to dwell on it as suddenly he could see her eyes flaming up.

"They were _the Army_! They were one of us!"

Modo shook his head calmly.

"Primer, they just held ya as a somekinda hostage..."

Primer turned her look away, clearly trying to make sense of this whole thing. But it didn't make sense. Not to her. Modo gave a sigh.

"Look, just because they were wearing the Army greens doesn't mean they were the good guys..." But he was once again interrupted by this slender female infront of him.

"You mean they weren't _good guys like you_?" Primer's voice was sharp and edgy and she had a deliberate emphasis on the words as she was staring at him with a challenging look but her lower lip was still trembling and she fought hard not to cry even if tears were starting to pile up to her eyes again. Modo swallowed while all the time having his eye on this young female. He had to answer her, say something, explain it to her how things really were...But he couldn't find any words. All his words had escaped from him by looking at those eyes, the eyes of the little girl he had always sworn to protect...The truth was, he couldn't find any words to justify his acts. He had acted the way he had been taught to act. There was no room for thougths in the middle of the battles, there was only one aim. Maybe there were some quick-thinkers like Throttle and Stoker who could make quick plans while fighting... but Modo was only a foot soldier, he only did what he was asked to do and what he was taught to do. But, there was no justification to his acts nonetheless... Modo cleared his throat and pushed all the thoughts aside, they needed to leave this place and he needed to get Primer to some place safe. That was the main thing for him to do right now. To protect her even if she didn't really understand why. He let out a sigh.

"Primer... We need to go. And you have to come with us."

"Why?" Primer gave him a look and then wiped her eyes with her arm.

"Ya might be in danger as well."

Primer huffed and shook her head in disbelief but turned her eyes back on the two soldiers again and then suddenly scampered up and was to rush to them but Modo got a hold of her, not a tight hold but firm enough.

"Wait, Ah don't think you should..."

But Primer yanked herself free and went anyway.

"We need to help them!"

Simson only gave her room while taking a step back and gave Modo a quizzical look but the grey furred male was only rubbing his brows, looking tired and also like he needed a moment to collect himself. Simson observed him a bit and then nodded like agreeing with something he had just thought in his head and he cleared his throat, giving Primer a look.

"You know, I must've exaggerated when I said the other one's dead... Just...couldn't find...the pulse..." His voice became increasingly tinier and tinier as he spoke the last words. Okay, that was dumb. That did not help.

"Simson..." He heard Modo's low rumble and he turned his look on the grey furred male who now stood up and gave him a meaningful glare.

"Shut up." He only stated and Simson nodded, agreeing that that would actually be a good thing to do. Modo walked carefully to them his eyes keenly on Primer, he was observing her every move, like he could find or detect any sudden changes in her behaviour by doing that and maybe he could, he had been able to do that. Long ago. But now, he couldn't really read her. He then scratched his arm awkwardly as he waited, with Simson, for her to give her medical opinion on the matter whether the soldiers were okay or...not.

"They're not dead." Primer then stated and Modo could feel like a heavy rock had just been rolled off his chest. It wasn't that he hadn't killed before, he had... He knew he had. But in the war, in the battlefield one didn't have the time to see and count how many dead people one left behind. That was the game. Those were the rules. You either fought back with all you've got or then you might as well just give up, surrender and die. Ofcourse he knew people who did count their every kill but that had always made him feel sick. Maybe it was hypocritical since what's the difference in the end, you counted the bodies or not, you still were a killer.

He could see how Primer let out a deep sigh, clearly the knowledge on these two soldiers being not okay but atleast breathing still, was an enourmous relief for her, too.

"We need to get them help..." She then said like it was decided already.

"Aha, yeah... Not gonna happen." Simson said but Modo nudged him and Primer looked up, her voice a rebellious one.

"What you mean _no_? They need help!"

Simson was to say something but only a chuckle came out of his mouth.

"They were just trying to kill us and now we're going to give them a five star hospital treatment?!"

"They need help!"

"She's right." Modo interrupted before there would be a fight between them and Simson and Primer both gave him a look. Modo bit his lower lip and nodded.

"We help. We help the ones who need help. Even if they don't deserve it..."

"_Everyone_ deserves to be helped." Primer cut him off and her uncle could see fire inside her growing. That was something he was familiar with, her fire. She had always been a feisty one and a girl who knew exactly what she wanted and she had also ways to get what she wanted. She was like her mother May in that sense.

Simson sighed and then nodded, swinging his arms up.

"Fine! We help! Let's just pile these bodies to some carriage and roll them outta here..."

"But we can't show our faces at the hospital, we can't bring them up there..." Modo said and Simson crossed his arms.

"Well, maybe you two just tell me what's gonna happen since all my ideas suck apparently?"

"Maybe doctor Shelly could help?" Modo thought out loud.

"Wait, how do you know Shelly?" Primer asked him.

"She was the one to help us..." Modo said and then pointed at his bandage on his right side.

"And apparently she's a friend of Aprilia's..."

"Oh, how's Aprilia doing?!" Primer's mood changed to excited suddenly but then she shook her head.

"No, nope, don't tell me... I don't wanna hear any lovey-dovey stuff...Not now..."

Modo had no choice but to give a light chuckle while seeing his niece to act more like her true self again and showed her fire and her determination. He then grew stern again and scratched the back of his head and hunched down, beside her.

"Primer?"

The girl was just cleaning the other soldier's nose from blood with a clean paper she had found from her pocket.

"You know Ah love ya and your brother very much?"

Primer did not want to answer but she eventually gave in and nodded but kept her look still on the two bodies.

"And that Ah would do anything to keep ya safe?" Modo asked again and now Primer gave him a look.

"But I don't want you to hurt other people while doing that!"

Modo nodded back, giving an understanding look but sighed.

"Ya know that's not how this works. But Ah didn't want for you to see...the things we do. Things that Ah do."

Primer gave him a look and a tear rolled down her cheek again but she quickly turned her head away and wiped it away, like nothing had happened. She was silent for awhile before then giving a loud sigh and shaking her head.

"I know that."

She then sniffed and nodded, letting her look fall to the floor.

"I just don't like it. I don't like people getting hurt."

"Ah don't want ya to like it." Modo only answered and Primer gave him a look like she didn't really know what he meant by that.

Modo saw her expression and then only sat down beside her on the floor. He let out a deep sigh.

"Ah'm sorry."

Primer gave him another surprised look. Modo saw it but turned his look away.

"For not been around." He added.

"You were busy..." Primer only said back, biting her lower lip.

"Trust me Ah would've rather been with you and the family than any place else..."

"You could just come home?" Primer asked carefully and Modo felt his heart to skip a beat but he just turned his look away. Primer nodded back. No words were needed. She knew he couldn't come home and she didn't want him to have to say the words out loud.

"I'm sorry, too." Primer then said.

"What for?" Modo asked silently rumbling, needing to wipe a tear off too.

"That I just...said those things few moments ago... I know the Freedom Fighters are the good guys, I mean I know that you just want to make things better... I just don't understand like how the Army..." Primer started but couldn't find any words.

"You don't have to understand war." Modo said.

"Noone can understand war." He then added.

"The war's still on?" Primer asked him.

"Ah'm afraid so..." Modo answered, looking all of a sudden tired again as he was rubbing his flesh hand's palm with his steel fingers.

"Uncle Modo?" Primer then asked carefully and Modo gave her a look back.

"Don't be too hard on yourself." Primer only nodded with a small but encouraging smile and Modo had to laugh at her uplifting spirit and he only nodded back.

"Ah try not to..."

"Well, try harder."

"Ah will, pumpkin." Modo smiled and stroked her hair and kissed her head. Primer then suddenly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him and Modo hugged her back, enclosing her to his big arms, even if his freshly stitched right side tried to make a protest about it. He didn't care how much it hurt. These kids were the centre of his universe.

Simson had been watching them silently from a little furter away as he had found his clothes and put them on but now he was sitting on his bed and wiping tears off too. He then cleared his throat.

"Man, you guys... Making an old rebel like me all teared up..."

Primer pulled herself away like just now really concentrating on the fact that there was a rat in the room. She gave Modo a look.

"Why are you hanging out with a rat? I thought you hated rats?"

"Ah don't know if Ah really _hated_ them..." Modo tried for it to not sound too extreme since there was a rat in the room.

"You said they were the plague that should be wiped out..." Primer pointed out.

"Yeah... Ah had a lot of issues back then, Ah guess..." Modo gave Simson a bit humoured look who only chuckled back, not minding. Modo then nodded towards Primer's direction.

"Simson, meet Primer, my niece and Primer this is Simson, he saved my life."

"Your uncle's way too kind...I did not save his life..." Simson said back.

"He did." Modo said to Primer.

"If he hadn't shot his tail off, Ah would've drowned for sure."

"Well, your uncle could be very persuasive..."

"It was your own choice..."

"Yeah, after ya yelled at me to shoot it off..." Simson chuckled and Modo joined in, scratching the back of his head.

Suddenly the door was opened and they all three startled and turned and Modo already pointed his arm cannon at the door but lowered it a soon as he recognized the two rebels entering the room.

"Hey, now easy there Big Fella'! You're the one who didn't call...!" Vinnie lifted his hands up but clearly excited to see that his bro was okay.

"Yeah, sorry, we were kinda occupied..." Modo chuckled back but made a fist bump with his younger bro.

"Good to see you're okay, soldier..." Stoker came to pat him on his back as well while Modo was still sitting on the floor.

"You too, comrade." Stoker nodded at Simson who only nodded back with a smile.

"Yeah, Oldtimer here had hard time since you kinda just disappeared...! Man, he's getting softer in his older years...!" Vinnie cheered, giving Modo another look.

"Vinnie?" Stoker raised his voice.

"Yes...?"

"Shut it."

Vinnie rolled his eyes but his attention was quickly turned to the scene infront of him, the two bodies lying on the ground and the blood...

"Oh man...! We like totally missed the party!"

"Primer, you remember Vinnie, right..?" Modo asked his niece and this smirked and gave a laugh.

"Well, yeah, he's very memorable."

Vinnie's mood quickly lit up again and pointed at himself.

"I've said to leave an impression, specially on the ladies..." He wiggled his brows and gave Primer a look.

"Well, Modo, you didn't say your niece had turned out as such a knock-out...!"

"Yeah, she is my niece, so keep ya distance and yer hands where Ah can see 'em..." Modo only muttered back.

"Hey, chill, bro...! I've got a lady now! I'm not hunting babes anymore... That's all in the past! Sorry, ladies, but that's true! This is the new Vinnie you see here!" Vinnie crossed his arms, looking proud.

"Hm, I guess the new one is as annoying as the old one..." Stoker huffed but then hunched over the scene infront of them as well.

"My, my... Looks like someone had fun..."

"Yeah, _without _us. That's a violation, I'm sure..." Vinnie snorted but then gave his big bro yet another look.

"But I forgive you, 'cause you've gone through rough times..."

"Aww, so noble..." Modo only drawled back.

Stoker was still concentrated on the two soldiers lying there on the floor.

"Are they...?" He asked but couldn't finish the sentence as Primer firmly cut him off.

"They are not dead."

But then the young light brown furred female gave Modo a look.

"We need to get Shelly here! Get them help!"

Modo nodded back but Stoker frowned at this.

"Help? No, honey, we need to bail out of here, like right now."

Primer turned to him and her eyes were flaming again.

"Well, you ain't going anywhere before they get help! This is a hospital! You can't just leave half-dead people behind!"

"Is that so?" Stoker asked, more humoured than serious and then gave Modo a look who only nodded at him.

"They need help. We have the time to get doctor Shelly here. Then we can go."

Stoker tapped his thighs and got up.

"Okay... But we do it very quick. Quick as in "it should've been done already"-quick..."

Primer got up and Modo followed her example and the young female then dusted her clothes off and walked to the door.

"I'll go to get doctor Shelly here..."

"NO!" Everyone suddenly shouted and Primer frowned a bit.

"Why not?"

"It's not...safe." Modo said and Primer crossed her arms and sighed.

"Well, someone just tag along then, gee! I thought we were in a hurry!" She opened the door and left while the men in the room gave each other a look.

"I'll go!" Vinnie rushed as Modo was to go after her and the white furred male only tapped Modo to his middle.

"Just sit back and relax, Modo my man! I'm handlin' this so no worries!"

"Well, there's a sentence that doesn't add up..." Modo mumbled but then suddenly his right side stung again and he had to bite his lower lip and press his right side, trying to keep the pain tolerable.

"See? I'm only lookin' after you, bro... Also, you're in luck because the only hero in town volunteers to keep the lady safe!"

"Great..." Modo said under his breath, still trying to manage with the pain.

"I'm actually with Vinnie here, you two look like you've gone through enough already... Vinnie can go after her..."

"Fine, but be quick...Ah'm ready to just get our bikes and dash out of here anyway..." Modo grunted.

"Well, it looks like you two got plenty to talk about while I'm gone...!" Vinnie cheered and tapped Modo and Stoker on their shoulders and ran out of the room after Primer.

"Toodles!"

"What he meant by that?" Modo raised his eyebrow. Stoker cleared his throat.

"Well, you know that kid's always talking even if there aren't any coherent things coming out..." Stoker tried to go around the subject of them not finding Lil'Hoss and just shifted his focus back on the two soldiers lying on the floor.

x

x

x

x


	20. Chapter 20 : Close the Borders

_Hello again!_

_Wow, this time I was fast with the next chapter!_

_First of all, thank you Vlaatjee for taking time from your own hectic writing schedule to read this story and always leaving a comment! _

_And thanks to all of you guys out there for reading this little story..._

_So, right now, I'm having in my head a very clear structure to this story, how it will develope and all... If I only have the time, I'll be fast(er) with my writing and uploading schedule... Oh I wished that I had ten hands so I would be able to write faster these chapters that are now all stuck in my head, waiting for their turn to come!_

_But since I don't have ten hands... Will see how this goes..._

_So, hopefully you'll enjoy this next chapter and please leave a comment after reading, I appreaciate every line and word from you fellow Biker Mice fans out there!_

_Until next time,_

-SpaceFlora

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 20  
**

**Close the Borders**

"Why aren't they pickin' up?!" Throttle asked impatiently, tapping his lean fingers against the monitor as Haden was trying to make the VidCom connect to Stoker's bike but in vain.

"I don't know... I try to contact Rimfire, see if he picks up..." Haden muttered and then dialled another code. Soon the young sand coloured male's signature stripy mohawk appeared on the screen. along with his face that had a slightly distracted look.

"Rimfire! Where's Stoker?!" Throttle barked without wasting any time on greetings.

"Er... Well, stuff happened...He went inside the hospital with Vinnie..." Rimfire tackled a bit and a small blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Stuff? What damn stuff?!" Throttle grunted and Rimfire cleared his throat.

"Well, see Primer..."

"Primer?" Throttle repeated raising his eyebrow behind his fieldspecs.

"My twin sister." Rimfire added.

"Yes, I know who Primer is, I've known you two since you were still using diapers! I mean what about her?" Throttle tapped his fingers even faster.

"Well, thing is..." Rimfire started and Throttle closed his eyes and leaned to his hands, hanging his head. Why wasn't he surprised. That kid got as big heart as his uncle did but he had a tendency to act before thinking which had become clear many more times than Throttle could even count.

"Thing is..." Rimfire started again, with a bit more strength in his voice.

"That I might have, you know... told sis that Uncle is kept in the hospital..."

Throttle opened his mouth but Rimfire rushed to continue.

"Just because we didn't know how they were doing and I thought that as a nurse Primer could've had some information on them or find out if they were okay...! I didn't mean to screw up this whole plan! I couldn't have known that there were these Army soldiers snooping around the hospital and then I couldn't reach her anymore..."

"There are soldiers looking for them?" Throttle became alerted.

"Yes." Rimfire only briefly answered trying to detect from the tan furred male's expression whether he'll get his ass kicked or not. But it was hard to tell, that mouse was hard to read.

"Okay..." Throttle sighed while starting to feel a headache coming on but then shook his head and gave the young male a look.

"Seven's with you?"

"Yeah..." Rimfire looked around him and then turned his mobile VidCom to show the rat that was chilling out on a bench, waving at them, looking bored, his hood pulled up to cover his rat ears and half of his long snout.

"I tried to reach Stoker..." Throttle continued as Rimfire's face appeared on the screen again.

"Yeah, the reception can be pretty bad if they're in the basement..."

"What are they doing in the basement?" Throttle asked.

"I don't know... They thought that maybe Uncle and Simson were kept there since Primer wanted the access to the basement...Clearly she had not found them in the other floors..." Rimfire started but Haden interrupted them, scratching his ginger-coloured mohawk that was shorter than Rimfire's but just as messy.

"So... We go there to help them? They might be in trouble?"

Throttle shook his head.

"No... We can't just dash through the city again, we barely got back to the Base without anyone tailing on us last time... We're more vulnerable inside the Mice Territories now that everyone wants to haunt us down...If they don't need the help, we're stayin' put."

"But how can we know whether they need the help or not if we can't contact them? We can't just let Coach and The Hot-Head be in a total radio-silence...?" Haden started but they were both interrupted by Hudson in his turn, who came to them in a hurry.

"They're closing the borders!" His voice was urgent and Throttle and Haden gave each other a puzzled look but Hudson went to the other monitor and connected it to the TV satellites that broadcasted the news from the Mice Territories and soon they could see an Army Officer talking in the News.

"..._so we've comen to the conclusion that considering what has happened during these past few days our territory will be much safer for the citizens if we'll expand our border control exponentially, to keep the enemy out."  
_

_"Do you mean you'll send more troops to border patrol or are you perhaps planning to close the borders entirely?" _The reporter asked.

_"The borders will not be closed entirely, we don't want to endanger for example our trading business with other territories. But we'll aim to cover every inch of our border, to make sure the enemy can't enter our territory again."_

"_Sir...Are you referring to the Freedom Fighters as the enemy? We've had several witnesses stating that they saw this group of armed Freedom Fighters riding through Brimstone City just early in the yesterday morning... Can you confirm this?" _The reporter asked before bringing the big microphone close to the Army Officer's mouth again._  
_

"_I'm a afraid that this rebellious guerilla group did raid our capital city yesterday but the Army fought back and managed to take control of what could've becomen a very bad and dangerous situation."_

_"And if the border patrol catches a rebel then what supposedly happens to this individual?"_

_"The soldiers are ordered to capture them or if they choose to not cooperate, which I think is highly possible, they are rebels after all, they do not respect the rules of the civilized nation...If they don't cooperate the soldiers are ordered to shoot them."_

"_Do the citizens have to be afraid?"_

"_No, I can assure everyone that the Army has everything under control... Now if you'll excuse _me..." The news camera followed the Army Officer who disappeared into the Mice Government's office building and the doors were closed after him.

Throttle, Haden and Hudson all stared at the screen in disbelief.

"They're... closing the borders...? What does that mean?" Haden then asked but Throttle was already ready with his response.

"It means war." The tan furred male then pointed at Rimfire.

"You, get your ass to the hospital, take Seven with you. Go get the others who are still inside. You're coming back from there NOW!" Throttle ended the call and then gave the two other males a look.

"What do you need us to do?" Haden asked. Throttle gave them both a look, surprised that they straight up asked that from him and did not ask to gather around with everyone to decide what would be the next step. He nodded at them, feeling still humbled by the trust these men had in him.

"Inform all in the Base that I want everyone to gather to the main hall. We'll get ready to protect our bros and fight back if it comes to that. We'll arm ourselves and get our bikes refueled. It can be a long night... They try to brainwash people thinking that we're the bad guys here..." He then rushed out of the room.

x

x

Primer was looking at Vinnie from the corner of her eye while they were walking in rapid speed the long corridor in the basement of the Brimstone Hospital. Vinnie was whistling beside her, not really with a refined note but he didn't let that disturb him from trying even the very elaborate tunes. The young female tried to be discreet with her glances directed to his fine trained body which was still covered with the dark hoodie and camos. Vinnie suddenly gave her a look back and she quickly turned her eyes back on the hallway.

"So, sweetheart, you've got a boy wrapped around your finger yet?" Vinnie asked casually.

Primer gave him a quick look.

"You mean a boyfriend? Yeah, I have a boyfriend..."

"I knew that a girl with your looks would have no trouble finding a man..."

Primer only blushed a little because she had just thought about how would that muscled body of the white furred male look like under the clothes when she was reminded of her boyfriend by the same man.

"Well, I don't know if it's gonna work out between us..." She only stated.

"Oh?" Vinnie raised his brow and Primer gave him another look.

"Yeah, I guess we just want different things, so..."

"Well, you're still young, you've got plenty of time to find the right one...Don't settle for anything except for the perfection! That's my motto..." Vinnie gave her his most charming smile back and Primer blushed even harder and nodded back before she then stopped by the elevator, looking at the wires that were hanging out.

"Oh, yeah, that... We did some home improvement for the lift..." Vinnie pointed lazyly at the wires but then walked in it.

"Is it safe to use?" Primer was a little uncertain to follow him and Vinnie only gave a wild laughter.

"Safe?! Sweetheart, life's too short to live on the safe side! C'mon, girl, hop in!"

Primer still looked a bit doubtful but then stepped into the elevator, too.

x

x

As Mace opened the door to this underground base his eyes were keenly on the portable tracker he had in his hand. He walked to the little recreational room and slumped on the couch, still watching the tracker before then giving a sigh and throwing the device beside him.

"Well, well, look who came back..." He heard a voice behind him but he didn't move or glance at the way the voice was coming from, he knew to whom it belonged already.

"Yeah, well... I've nowadays very occupied with my time." Mace only stated as a grey rat appeared to take a seat on the arm chair next to the couch, crossing his hands and leaning forward.

"We were starting to get worried that you'd split..." The rat gave Mace a thoughtful look. Mace only raised his brows while still not looking at his rat comrade so the grey rat continued.

"You know, the guys are getting quite anxious as you're spending so much time with those mice... They think that maybe you've turned your back on your own people..."

"Well, you tell them that they've got nothing to worry about. I'm the one doing all the work here anyway. If they want to get rich then they can just shut their mouths and keep doing what they're paied to do..." Mace mumbled and took the device back to his hands again and gave it a look. Still no changes.

"What's that?" The other rat asked and Mace finally gave him a look.

"It's a tracker. See, the microchip you planted on one of the Fighters actually has a function..."

"I know that..."

"...and this device shows where the current owner of that chip is at the moment located..."

"So...? Where is he?"

"Still at the hospital..."

"Well, the news from the Mice's terriotories told that they're gonna close the borders... Maybe they'll catch them...?"

"They will not..." Mace grunted as he got up and headed out of the room.

"How will you know that?" The rat still sitting on the chair asked doubtfully after him.

"Because noone seems to catch these damn bastards...!" Mace's voice was to be heard from the other room.

x

x

"What is happening? Why are they all running?" Aprilia asked as she saw that every Fighter and Rebel rat in the HQ was running past her and Beretta who had just been drinking tea in the dining room but were now watching the scene from the doorway.

"I don't know...Maybe something' up..." Beretta said while still holding a tea cup between her hands before noticing Hudson walking to them.

"You girls might wanna go check that you'll have all the medical stuff needed..." The male said as soon as they were in the hearing distance.

"What? Are we under attack?" Aprilia got worried.

"No, but there's trouble at the borders... The Army's closing the borders as we speak. It was in the news. It can be that we need to go help our comrades to get back here safely, so that can mean some action..." Hudson answered. Aprilia was to say something but Beretta beat her to it.

"You really need action after last night?" She raised her eyebrow flirtingly at Hudson who only smirked back at her.

"I might still have some extra adrenaline left in me..."

Aprilia rolled her eyes but Hudson then gave them both another look.

"If there's anything you need, just tell us and we'll see if we find something from the storages..."

He then left and they both looked after the bigger dark grey furred male and Beretta tilted her head.

"Will you just look at that behind..."

"I thought you had had it with the Fighters?" Aprilia only muttered next to her, crossing her arms.

Beretta made a face and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, can't a girl have a little fun?" She asked innocently and Aprilia shook her head.

"C'mon let's go do an inventory..." Aprilia said but a nagging feeling entered her stomach, Modo and Simson were hurt, will they be able to even get out of the hospital?

x

x

The hallways of the Brimstone Hospital had not gone any less busier which was a good thing as Primer thought that it was easier for Vinnie to blend in as he was walking after her. Thankfully he was wearing a dark hoodie with no Fighter logos or any declarations about "Free Mars" anywhere on it and Vinnie had even pulled up the hood to cover his face, or atleast a big part of his mask. He had also tucked his laser gun in the small of his back, underneath the hoodie. He might have been packing many more guns but Primer couldn't tell that by looking at him, maybe those were carefully hidden. The young nurse looked around as they walked, trying to locate doctor Shelly.

"How were you gonna leave this place?" Primer then asked Vinnie.

"With style, babe!" Vinnie cheered behind her.

"No...I mean, with what types of vehicles? You've got your bikes with you?" Primer asked after giving a lighthearted chuckle.

"Well, were you expecting a bus?" Vinnie chuckled and Primer had to laugh at this.

"No...We'll have our rides..." Vinnie then added and looked around carefully.

"Man, I just hate the smell of the hospitals..."

"One gets used to it..." Primer stated.

"I doubt I would ever get used to the smell of these places..." Vinnie only muttered back.

Primer gave him a look.

"You've got a phobia?"

"Phobia? Like a_ fear_? Nah... There's no fear in this stud! I have just an disinterest to spend too much time in places where they cut mice and poke their innards..." Vinnie said and a shiver went through his body to even say the words aloud.

"You've got a weird idea of the hospitals..." Primer chuckled but then spotted doctor Shelly.

"Hey, there she is!" She said and added more speed to her walk and Vinnie jogged after her.

"Shelly!" Primer called and the doctor gave her a look and when seeing with whom she was hanging out, her eyes grew bigger.

"I thought I told you guys to wait outside!" Shelly's voice was stern as she gave the white furred male a look.

"I thought that was more like a suggestion..." Vinnie wondered with his happy-go-lucky attitude.

"No, it was an order." Shelly answered with a blank face.

"Hm, hard to tell a difference between them two..." Vinnie rubbed thoughtfully his chin while Doctor Shelly sighed and gave Primer a look.

"What are you doing hanging out with these guys, nurse Primer?"

"We need you in the basement!" Primer said and Shelly looked at her doubtfully and then the young female added quickly.

"We need you right now! There are injured soldiers and...!"

"Wait, what?" Shelly asked but then grabbed Primer by the arm and pulled her aside.

"Primer, you should not get involved with this, it's bad enough that I'm now part of this...thing." Shelly said the last word while giving Vinnie a look who only smiled with a wide smile under the hood.

"Hey, no need to thank us, miss!"

"I'm not. And it's mrs." Shelly answered dryly.

"There's a couple of hurt Army soldiers in the basement. They need help." Primer explained.

"Well, they don't really need help but the girl insisted that they do, so..." Vinnie only babbled and Shelly changed his eyes back on him.

"How they got hurt? How they even got to the basement?!" The doctor asked confused. Primer's ears lowered a bit before she sighed.

"My uncle might have gone a bit on the extreme side with his self-defence against these guys..." Primer cleared her throat and Vinnie gave a loud chuckle and it got them some attention.

"A bit? It's good that these guys are still breathing! It was mildly an impressive sight...I'd give two stars."

"Wait, you said your uncle...?" Shelly ignored Vinnie's nonsense and gave Primer a look.

"Yeah, Modo, the big grey mouse you patched up I heard..."

"Oh...Wait, what? He can't do any physical activities, he needs to rest! You say he got into a fight already?!"

"Newsflash for you, sweetheart, we don't really know the word "no" either..." Vinnie talked with a big smile on his face.

"Vinnie! Primer?!" Rimfire suddenly ran to them and got his sister into a big bear hug.

"Thank gods you're okay!"

"Oh, great, there's more of you..." Shelly rolled her eyes and then tried to collect herself.

"It's been like an hour since we last spoke, weirdo..." Primer wondered her brother's sudden worried behaviour.

"I thought those soldiers had hurt you!" Rimfire still hugged her sister, holding her up so her feet didn't touch the floor.

"Well they didn't but they got their asses kicked instead! You should've seen uncle Modo fighting them one against two! That was like a true OMG thing! He beat the shit outta them!" Primer explained once she was set back on the ground with an enthusiastic ramble that was in contrast with the message of the sentences and Rimfire didn't really know whether her sister was still in a bit of a shock after what she had just witnessed or already cool with it. Primer gave Shelly a look and cleared her throat.

"...And that is why we need to help these poor soldiers, obviously...They are not doing so well..."

Doctor Shelly then spotted Seven.

"I'm sorry but you can't be here...You're a rat!"

"Wow, that's a bit racist, don't you think...?" Seven only muttered dryly back.

"None of you should be here!" Shelly then pushed them all into movement, towards the elevators, trying to do that without raising too much attention.

"Do you realize what happens to my doctor's licence if someone finds out that I've been helping the rebels?! Or rats?! Rebels that are public enemies?" She then lowered her voice but kept it as stern as ever.

"You'll get fame and a promotion?" Vinnie guessed with a hopeful expression.

"NO!" Shelly answered annoyed while picking up Seven's pink and naked rat tail and rolling it into hoops and trying to hide it underneath her doctor's jacket to prevent anyone to see that, luckily Seven had covered his head with a hood still.

"Hey, missy, are we doing foreplay already...? Let go of my tail!" Seven tried to yank his tail free but Shelly squeezed it harder.

"Autsch! Man, I like it when the lady's dominating but that's a bit too much...!" Seven cringed.

"Everyone into the elevator now!" Doctor Shelly urged them and they all entered the lifts and Shelly gave the loosely hanging wires a look.

"Oh, yeah, this little thing, he he... I'll just..." Vinnie started to connect the wires again.

"Actually, we're in a hurry so if you'll excuse me..." Rimfire pushed Vinnie aside and started to connect the right cables and wires to make the lift go down.

"Have you guys seen the news?! They're closing the borders!" The young male then gave the others a look while still working to get the lift into movement.

"We have to get Stoker, Uncle Modo and Simson right now and get back to the Base! A strict order from the HQ!" Rimfire then gave Vinnie and Primer a look.

"Closing the borders?" Primer asked.

"Now, wait a minute, who's giving orders?" Vinnie concentrated on the last part.

"We have to get back before there'll be soldiers within every second metre of the border's length!" Rimfire continued and then the doors slid close and the lift nudged into movement.

Seven took his handgun from the leg holster.

"Well, luckily we've got guns to get us through even a bigger crowd of your mediocre Mouse Army!"

"Put that away! You can't have guns in the hospital!" Shelly raised her voice.

"Man, this place is a drag..." Vinnie only rolled his eyes.

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	21. Chapter 21: Six Rebels and A Girl

_Hi again!_

_Well, two chapters done and uploaded in here in less than a week... Not a record but a good start again! So, like I said last time, I know already where this story is going and have already many of the chapters ready in my head, it's just a matter of having the time to write them down...But I try to write every day just a little so... I'm hoping that there won't be too long breaks in the future..._

_But, keeping things short and sweet... Like maybe this chapter as well, it's not too long, just a few scenes..._

_Anyway, please review and tell me what your thoughts are about the new chapters!  
_

_Thanks to you all who have been reading this story!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 21**

**Six Rebels and A Girl  
**

"Autsch!"

"Sorry, miss!"

Charley stroked her now sore arm that had just been bruised by a big Martian Freedom Fighter who had accidentally bumped into her on his way towards the main hall where everyone else seemed to be rushing, too. Charley didn't know what was going on but she knew something was up, nothing could make a Martian Mouse hurry like that except the smell of action, she knew that much so she followed them to the main hall and saw that nearly every Fighter and Rebel rat was already gathered in there, all lining to get into the gun storage, to get their hands on the best guns. Charley rubbed the sore spot on her arm again but then continued her way to the tan furred male, who was at the moment dressed in the Fighter's vest and red camos, fastening his thigh holster.

"Throttle?"

"Hey, Charley girl, what's up?"

"What's up?" Charley huffed back and raised her eyebrow.

"Whats up in here?"

Throttle straightened his back and Charley followed him with her eyes, the tan male now standing much taller than her. Charley didn't know why but he seemed taller and bigger now than she remembered. Maybe she has just been too distracted lately or then there had been some changes in Throttle that had taken place, there was something new about the way he was carrying himself at the moment but Charley couldn't really tell what it was. He had always been a confident one but there was a new type of confidence in him.

Throttle merely looked around them and then towards the gunstorage room.

"We're getting ready to bring our boys home..." He simply stated.

"Then why it looks like you're preparing for a war? I mean I know you guys like rough welcomes but even for you this seems a bit exaggerated..." Charley tried to joke a little while glancing towards the Fighters' way as they were all trying to attach as many guns as possible to themselves. Throttle was maybe too distracted to get the humour since he only gave her a glance back and Charley could feel his eyes on her, his observing look that was always there even if no one could see it.

"The Mice Government decided to close the borders." He then said.

"Why would they do that...?" Charley asked.

"If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say we made them look like fools as we just drove through the city and they didn't even catch us, even if they have all the numbers and money behind them... They did not like that. Now, they don't want that to happen again."

"So, wait, what does that mean?" Charley shook her head.

"I'm not too sure yet, Charley girl..." Throttle answered but then gave her another glance.

"You're okay?"

"Me? Yes, I'm fine...Look, you want me to check your bikes in the mean time, before you take off?" Charley asked, already ready to get her hands dirty again and maybe get some clarity to her messy thoughts inside her head. And nothing could clear one's head as fixing the bikes she knew that as a fact.

There was a sudden racket behind them coming from the gun storage's way and Throttle turned his look away, trying to see what all the noise was about.

"That's okay, Harley's got that covered already..." The male said absent-mindedly, now missing the tiny glimpse of hurt in Charley's green eyes as his attention was brought elsewhere. It seemed that the Fighters as well as the Rebel rats were acting like sugar-highed kids in the candy store while hoarding the guns.

Charley nodded back, looking down, suddenly feeling that she was in the way.

"You obviously have got plenty on your mind right now so... I'll just leave you to it... Bring them back safely." Charley nodded and then turned around and left. Throttle watched her leave, feeling that he might not have handled that situation too well but his thoughts were interrupted again as there was shouting behind his back again and he walked over the gun storage.

"Okay, calm down everyone! Save your adrenaline to the field! And pack enough bullets if you're not taking laserguns, you don't wanna end up with empty magazines out there!"

x

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Doctor Shelly listened to the heart of the other soldier with her stethoscope. She had ran straight to these two poor fellows lying unconsciously on the floor the second Vinnie had opened the door to this basement storage room. She had had no time to think what the heck had happened to these guys as she had started to check the vitals on these two soldiers even if Primer had told her that she had done that already. She was the doctor after all. It was her duty to save as many lives as she could and all the other things were pushed aside in her mind. But she could feel all the eyes on her even if she didn't glance up, she could tell that the Fighters and the couple of rats that were now making the small room even smaller had all a keen eye on her at the moment. Once they had comen back, Rimfire had told the news to Stoker, Modo and Simson, about what was happening at the border and that he had gotten quite a strict order from Throttle that they should get their asses back to their HQ as soon as possible. A little debate and Q&A had followed that but now a small silence had filled the room, mainly because Vinnie had gone back to the hallway, to keep watch even if they could hear the hyper-active mouse rehearsing his stunts over there as well as his dry comebacks for the imaginary enemies.

Stoker then decided to break the silence by clearing his throat.

"So...They're gonna be okay, doc...?" He asked the doctor and Shelly raised her look the first time after entering the room, to meet the old leader's look. It was not a look of a worried man, nor she could detect any sympathy for what had happened to these guys.

"Do you even care?" Shelly only asked and Stoker rubbed his forehead and nodded, giving the others a look.

"We should leave, now. The doctor's here so... The faster we get going the faster we're gonna make it out of the territory before they have the whole Army waiting for us there..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"We're ready?" Stoker asked impatiently and Rimfire nodded back.

"Yup." He stated and left the room first, placing his arm around Primer and guided her gently out of the room, too.

"Thanks. For saving the lives of my two comrades." Stoker said to Shelly who only nodded, not giving this legendary leader of the Freedom Fighters a look back.

The room was rapidly becoming empty of Rebels but Modo still hung back, studying doctor Shelly.

"You'll be okay, ma'am?"

"Yes, just go... I'll give you a headstart before I'll call some help down here..."

"Thank you...about everythin'..."

Shelly only gave him a look but then turned it away.

"I don't really understand what's going on but it sounds dangerous so... Promise me to keep Aprilia and Primer safe. You're taking Primer with you, right?"

"Well, she won't be safe here anymore, so..." Modo started but was cut off.

"I don't know if she'll be safe with you guys either..." Shelly only stated while letting her look wander on the two badly hurt soldiers. Modo observed her a second before he only nodded silently and then headed out of the door as well, joining the others as they were hurrying down the underground hallway.

Seven helped Simson to walk as he still had minor difficulties to even keep standing up.

"I'm sorry boss that I couldn't get to you earlier, to help you, to prevent all this from happening..." Seven started, his voice filled with regret. He had seen the stump of a tail and a pang of guilt had washed over him.

"This ain't your fault, Seven... We got trapped... And then the tunnels were flooded... It's a miracle we're still alive." Simson muttered.

"Still... We're a family, we help each other... I should've made sure that you got out of that tunnel safely..."

"Seven... Don't beat yourself up. It's only a tail anyway... I'm lucky to even be alive and breathing...That we're both alive..." Simson said and gave Modo a look who only nodded back absent-mindedly.

Stoker gave Primer a look, studying the young nurse with his eyes.

"Listen, Primer... Did those soldiers say anything that you could remember? Like who sent them or why they knew where to find Modo and Simson?"

Primer looked thoughtful but then gave Stoker a quick glance.

"Yeah, actually they kept talking about this guy that wanted to get them... All of you..."

"You remember his name?"

"No... Well, it started with M...I believe..."

"Mace." All the six males around her said in unison and Primer raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's the one... Wait, you know him?"

"Ha! Sweetheart, we know him but we ain't exactly in friendly terms..." Vinnie chuckled and then air-smacked someone.

"Man, to have his ugly face right infront of me right now...I'd give him a rough makeover for all the things he has done...! That lousy weasel..."

"Yes, Mace has his fingers all over this whole mess, we know that already... But we'll get him once the time is right and right now it's time for us to check out of this place and get back to the Headquarters.. Which brings me to the next question, were ya gonna bring this pretty desert flower back to our HQ, Big Fella'?" Stoker asked Modo, placing his hand briefly on Primer's shoulder. Modo gave a sigh.

"Ah'm all ears if ya got any suggestions, Coach... I mean, we can't leave her here, she'll be in danger..."

"Hm, you could be right..."

" 'Though Ah don't know whether the Base is the safest place in the world either..." Modo muttered but Primer joined in the conversation.

"Well, can't I decide? I'm a woman of my own will so I should get to decide about my own faith too and where I'm going..."

"Sure... You just say what your thoughts are on the matter and I'll say if it's right or wrong." Stoker only gave her a teasing smirk. Primer huffed back.

"Well, can't I join you guys?"

"What you mean join?" Modo asked scratching his left ear.

"To become a Fighter?" Primer asked.

"NO!"Rimfire and Modo hurried their answer in unison so fast and so loud that Primer got a bit startled by it but she stopped and gave them a look.

"Well, why not? I mean, you guys keep telling me that we're in danger, that infact the whole planet's in danger and that the war's still on and all that... You really think that I'd just after that realization sit back and twiddle my thumbs? No! I wanna help you guys! I wanna do something important too!"

Modo gave a slightly irritated grunt back while Rimfire only shook his head.

"No. Absolutely not." Modo then answered.

Primer sighed as they continued their hurried walk.

"But Rimfire's a Fighter, too, so why can't I be one?" Primer kept on insisting. Modo only shook his head while walking, giving his nephew a glare.

"Yeah, well... That doesn't mean that you should follow his footsteps, or any other male's in this family..." Modo muttered.

"So, this is because I'm a woman, is that it?" Primer stopped again and raised her eyebrow. Modo gave her a look, halting as well.

"Primer we can't stop, we have to keep on moving, we're in a hurry!"

"But I demand an answer!"

"Can't ya demand and walk the same time?"

Primer rolled her eyes but continued her walk.

"I could be a good Fighter. I mean if Rimfire can do it, obviously the requirements aren't that high..." The girl only chuckled and Rimfire huffed.

"For your information, sis, I've done things you couldn't even dream about!"

"Don't encourage your sister, ya know she's highly competitive..." Modo mumbled back.

"But if I come to the Headquarters with your guys then I could learn from you!" Primer then raised her hopeful voice again.

"In that case, Ah'll drop ya to your Grandmommah's porch..." Modo answered, starting to feel himself a bit riled up but then gave Stoker a look.

"A lil' help here, Coach?"

"Nah, I'm good... Besides we do need more recruits to our rows, so..." Stoker only stated, slightly humoured.

Modo gave him a meaningful glare back but then turned his look on the small and slender female again.

"Look, if we decide that it's best that you come with us then you can help Aprilia and Beretta back in the Base, you're a nurse after all, you should put your knowledge on the medical stuff in use..."

"Ugh... Sounds like the women get to sit and watch while the men gets to have all the fun..." Primer muttered a bit pissed off.

"It ain't fun." Modo cut in.

"Whatever...Just drop me at Grandmother's..." Primer mumbled.

"Ah'm not gonna drop ya over at my Mommah's place, it was a joke..."

"Why not?"

"Because someone might see us... And then she'll be in danger..."

Primer nodded, understanding the point.

"Yeah...Grandma' must be protected..."

"Yup..." Modo only stated back.

"She's like a natural treasure..." Primer continued.

"That she is..." Her uncle drawled.

"She's usually right about things, too.." The girl then continued, and Modo wasn't sure he quite liked her tone, she sounded as if she would have an ace up her sleeve considering their little debate.

"Mhm..." He only nodded, not sounding too sure where this was going.

"You know what she would have to say about all this?" Primer gave Modo a confident look.

"What?" The grey furred giant sighed.

"That I should get to decide what it is that I wanna do with my life, I'm entitled to do my own choices...And that you guys trying to convince me to do the opposite and make me submit to your will is a chauvinistic move."

"Well, there you have it, Big Guy..." Stoker chuckled beside Modo.

"Primer, this is not about you being a woman..." Modo answered his niece. Frankly, he didn't wanna lose this debate. It was bad enough that his nephew was a Freedom Fighter, no way was he ever going to let his niece to join in as well.

"Is it not? Really?" Primer narrowed her eyes.

"You can decide what you wanna do, when you're ready to make that decision..." Modo continued.

"I just said what I wanna do!"

"Well, you're not ready to make that decision yet."

"That's bullshit!"

"No, it's called "to sleep on it" and your much loved Grandmommah is a big fan of that and she would suggest you to do just that. To sleep on it." Modo's voice rumbled and he gave Primer a look, who only shook her head looking irritated. He knew he had won this round but he knew it was a temporary win, she was very hard-headed young female and they would have this same conversation in no time.

They stopped infront of the elevators and Rimfire pressed the button and the doors opened.

"Hop in... I'll switch back the wires again..."

They all stepped inside the lift.

"Man, can't wait to get back on the saddle again... Who would've thougth that the hospitals were this dull..." Vinnie sighed and then took his weapon and started to roll it around his fingers.

"Yeah, Ah'm ready to just get back to our base...So, how's Lil'Hoss?" Modo asked a bit worried since last time he had seen her the bike had not responded at all. Stoker sighed and gave him a look.

"Yeah, about that..."

Modo changed his look on his leader.

"We didn't find Lil'Hoss..." The older male then added but Rimfire hurried inside the lift.

"Okay, let's go!"

And the doors closed.

x

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	22. Chapter 22: Loyals

_Hiya!_

_Man, one of the hardest things about writing is to remember all the names, I saw that instead of Primer I had written Harley in the last chapter in one sentence but I corrected that... Sorry about the confusion, that is always my struggle to get the girls' names right in this story XD I don't know why, the males are easy to remember but for some reason all the female's get messed up in my mind..._

_Thanks to everyone who has been reading this or the "prequel" to this story. If you would be so kind it would mean a WORLD to me if you could after reading write a few sentences, comments, helloes whatever... It would help my motivation to write big time since right now even though I'm having these ideas in my head ready to write down I have a struggle to write them for some reasons... I don't know why..._

_So thanks to you all readers out there!_**_  
_**

_And special thanks to my ever-so-loyal commenter Vlaatjee... Thanks, I don't think this would be even possible without your nice comments! And also your great stories to fuel my passion to write my own!_

_Anyway,_

_here's chapter 22 (already, wow!)_

_Hope you guys like it!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 22**

**Loyals  
**

"Throttle...! It's Lieutenant Radius, he requests to speak with you..." A Freedom Fighter hollored a little further away as Throttle was getting his bike refueled. Throttle nodded and took a towel from the near-by table to wipe his hands to it as he followed the male Fighter to the main hall with hurried steps.

"Get those bikes ready, bros! We're leaving in fifteen minutes!" Throttle then glanced behind him, ordering the Fighters and the rebel rats who were all gathered in the garage, to check that their bikes were ready to rumble. The tan furred male walked into the main hall and made a beeline towards the VidCom.

"Lieutenant." He then nodded when seeing the white furred male's stern face on the big screen.

"Please, just call me Radius, I'm no longer part of the Army as I think both of us know by now...I've already done too many violations against my previous employer... It would be wrong not to mention hypocritical to still use my rank." Radius only concluded.

Throttle could see now that Radius was not anymore wearing the Army khakis and stripes and honory medals but instead he had a plain dark t-shirt on. Somehow the change of the wardrope did not bring change in his character as the white furred male looked as stiff as ever.

"Very well...Radius...I'm glad to see you're okay, we haven't heard from you since we found Modo and Simson..." Throttle sat down on the chair.

"I had to keep low profile...I also had to get a new mobile VidCom since the Army's equipments that I used could've been tracked down."

"Wise. They do grow men from boys in the Army after all..." Throttle only huffed lightly, looking a bit amused as he crossed his arms. Radius on the other hand, if he was amused about this remark did not show it.

"Well, let's just hope that you guys are right...about all this." The white furred ex-Lieutenant only stated.

Throttle gave a sigh as he leaned back in his chair.

"Trust me. I would want nothing more but to be wrong about this. But I'm afraid that's not the case. I also believe that things are actually much more worse than they seem..."

"How so?" Radius narrowed slightly his eyes.

Throttle observed the male, his red eyes moving behind the green field specs as he lightly tapped the handrest the same time. He then glanced around the main hall, scratching his scalp underneath his long hair before changing his look back on the ex-Lieutenant.

"I think you better get your ass over here before I'll start explaining anything... We'd be here all night and right now our bros need our help to get their asses here safely as well, so..."

"Stoker's heading back already?"

"Yeah, things got... a bit heated there..."

Radius nodded but then cleared his throat.

"So...My brother-in-law..? He's...alright or...?"

"He's fine. For what I've heard that guy just barely missed the early grave and got a nice row of stitches to prove that but he's currently more concerned over his bike that's still m.i.a. So all in all, he's back to being normal for all I can tell..." Throttle gave a reassuring smile but continued.

"Also this little thing happening at the borders right now, the tanks rolling in there, Army soldiers getting ready to shoot before asking... It don't exactly make things safer or easier... Bros better try be quick with their border hoppin'..."

"I don't think it's wise for them to try cross the border on their two-wheels, Army can detect a Freedom Fighter bike from miles away."

"You suggest they take a cab?" Throttle joked and noticed a slight twitch on the corner of Radius' mouth but the former Military officer cleared his throat.

"I think the best way to do this would be if we gave them the ride... We're currently trying to locate the safest route to cross the border as well." Radius commented and Throttle raised his eyebrow behind his specs.

"_We_? Who's we?"

"The reason I called you is because I managed to get in contact with some of the soldiers still loyal to General Carbine."

Throttle's mouth dropped a little but he quickly recovered although still looking doubtful.

"Wait... You got in touch with the loyals...Already?"

"Well, I promised to do that and I did. I'm a man of my words."

"Yes, ofcourse..Sorry..." Throttle gave a small chuckle.

"It's just... Wow... You work fast." He added.

"Well, what can I say... I don't fuck around. Army teaches to be efficient. You guys could learn a thing or two in there, too..." Radius corrected his posture.

"Was that a joke?" Throttle leaned back in his chair again, clearly happy to see this man got also happy genes somewhere deep down. Radius only managed to bring a small smile on his face as an answer. Throttle cleared his throat as his look became thoughtful again.

"So... How many men are we talking about here? How many loyals you managed to get in contact with?"

"Around fifty."

Throttle made a surprised look but then leaned forward again.

"I'm sorry... Fifty as in five-zero?"

"That's usually what it means..." Radius answered dryly but continued.

"Well, that's the amount I could get in touch with at least, I'm sure there are more. She was... she is a very respected Army Officer."

"I'm just glad that she didn't piss off everyone in the Army Base..." Throttle shook his head, but he looked proud.

"Yeah, well, clearly she pissed of someone..." Radius only muttered back.

"Did the loyals have any information on her? Have they heard anything about how she was holding up or...?" Throttle asked now turning to worried. Well, as worried as he allowed himself to appear infront of the VidCom.

"No. They're making it sure that only a very few people get to see or talk to her. She's being kept in this highly secured area. They're not taking any risks as they know that you guys are trying to free her."

"Not trying. We are gonna free her." Throttle answered but turned his gaze briefly on the floor. Radius observed this younger male, many years younger than him sitting there in the chair. The tall and like the rest of the Fighters, a well-built man who had always his field specs on so he gave quite a mysterious apparence as he was somewhat hard to read but Radius could tell that he too was well-respected among his fellow Fighters as it seemed that they've put him in charge now that Stoker wasn't around. The tan furred male didn't show too much emotions either but just so Radius could see that he wasn't completely hardened by the war, he was still a man very much connected to this world around them. Radius didn't know if he could've said the same thing about Stoker, but the older male had always been a bit more...quirky one, ever since he had left the Army and started his own troops and even before that. Radius didn't know why but he somehow felt more at ease talking with Throttle instead of Stoker. He seemed so much more level-headed. Radius then cleared his throat.

"So, you tell Stoker that we're picking them up wherever they are at the moment... No man is left behind while I'm around."

"Pick them up? With what?" Throttle asked a little doubtful now facing the big screen again.

"Well, the loyals got us a few Army trucks, that might save us from some suspicions if we encounter the Army... It buys us time for sure even if those won't totally work as a coverage. Also we can try to fit the bikes in as well if necessary, the trucks are big."

"Wait... You stole Army vehicles?" Throttle raised his eyebrow.

"Borrowed them." Radius corrected but fully comprehending what they had done but not really too keen to show that to this rebel. Throttle only nodded, looking pleased as well as humoured.

"I like your style, Lieutenant..." Throttle nodded pleased but then gave a sigh.

"Thanks. I mean it. I know you and Modo might have your differencies..."

"No...That's all in the past. That is if he's not picking up a new fight..."

"Well, if you wanna stay on his good side maybe don't mention his bike when you see him... The bond between them two is something I can't even comprehend sometimes either..."

"Very well."

"Safe travels, Radius. We'll be waiting this side of the borders. Call us if there's trouble. We'll be keeping an eye on the border as well."

"I think it's a little too late to be safe...I think it's more about survival from now on." Radius only replied.

"You might be right, Radius..." Throttle nodded before the call ended. He turned around and gave the Freedom Fighter present in the room a look.

"Call Stoker and tell him that Radius will pick them up."

The Fighter nodded and was on it as Throttle started to walk towards the garage again but nearly bumped into Aprilia.

"Throttle, hi... You're all leaving soon?" The light brown furred female asked her big brown eyes looking tired but still observant.

"Yeah." Throttle replied while tightening his gunbelt around his pelvis.

Aprilia nodded back and looked down at her hands, fumbling with her fingers.

"...be safe, okay? I don't think I could handle anything too dramatic at this point anymore..."

"It's been a crazy month, I must admit..." Throttle nodded while observing this small curvy creature infront of him with her big messy fair blonde hair that she hadn't still combed. Well, it had been hectic to say the least and Aprilia wasn't the type to put her looks before the more urgent stuff.

"Yes." Aprilia nodded, biting her lower lip but then shrugged her shoulders while crossing her soft arms, lowering her look to study the floor.

"You guys really know how to throw a homecoming party, hu...?" She added wryly and Throttle only gathered a gentle smile on his features and laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently and caringly before he left the female Martian to stand there, looking after him.

"Don't worry, doc, we'll bring the boys back safely."

Aprilia watched as the broad back of this tall male disappeared into the other part of the Headquarters. She shook her head and continued her way towards the sleeping quarters and her own room. As she was walking the corridors she past an open door and she took a few steps backwards and peaked inside. She saw the auburn-haired female alien soldering something by her tiny table. It looked complicated but that was not surprising to Aprilia who had witnessed already many times how smart this female from another planet actually was. It was lucky that the guys had bumped into her after crashlanding on Earth, otherwise things could've turned out very differently she thought...Aprilia still looked at the female working but decided it was rude to spy like that so she knocked on the door that was ajar. Charley startled but gave her a look and a brief smile.

"Come on in, Aprilia..."

"Oh, I don't wanna disturb...I just wanted to check that you were okay..."

"You're not disturbing. I could use some company to be honest... Ever since I came here the guys have been playing hide and seek with me while leaving the whole search part out..." Charley muttered but waved her hand as a sign for Aprilia to step inside this little room and Aprilia took a few careful steps and looked around her and the stuff Charley had already unpacked again to their designated places.

"Yes, they have kept themselves busy. If I didn't know them better I would say that they have some trouble adjusting to the life back home..." Aprilia nodded slowly, trying to joke while letting her eyes wander on the items and with careful and curious looks she took in her surroundings and all the weird looking things her fingers becoming suddenly itchy as a great urge to run her fingers on every little object got a hold of her but she crossed her arms to prevent her to do just that. She might be curious by nature but she had manners and self-restraint above all.

"So, you've unpacked your stuff I see...Again. Planning to stay this time?" Aprilia then gave Charley nearly a mischievious smirk that somehow caught Charley by surprise, the blonde curvy Martian was usually a bit more reserved while hanging out with her.

"Well, I already used all my "scared-little-girl-gone hysteric" energy so I guess I'm now back being just...me. So, _yes_ is the answer to your question. I'm planning to stay this time. Who knows maybe Mars has better working opportunities than Earth does..." Charley joked as well.

"I used pretty much all my savings on those three fur brains and their rides and something tells me they ain't gonna pay me back..." The mechanic from the blue planet then tapped her bed.

"Have a seat."

Aprilia nodded and carefully sat down and gave Charley a small smile while keeping her hands on her lap, like she would be sitting in a waiting room, looking a bit shy and uneasy. Charley couldn't help but give a small laughter as somehow she was the total opposite of these loud and rowdy Martian males she had comen to know so well during the last three years.

"What?" Aprilia looked a little confused.

"Nothing... It's just... You're so sweet."

Aprilia blushed a little.

"I understand completely how the big guy's so smitten for you."

Aprilia blushed harder but nodded back shyly. Charley shook her head, raising her brow.

"That's why I find it hard to believe that he didn't tell me anything about you while staying on Earth... I mean, I should kick him for that..." The mechanic huffed looking thoughtfully at the mechanical parts stacked on her desk.

"He didn't mention me at all?" Aprilia asked disbelief in her voice.

"No. But he is a more silent type, I mean compared to Vinnie... Well, compared to Vinnie even the firejets are quiet as mice but... Modo always talked about his family, his mom and niece and nephew...But not once he mentioned you..." Charley then suddenly gave Aprilia a bit hasty look.

"I'm sorry, this might not be too nice of a conversation...And I don't mean to talk shit or anything..."

"No, no... That's okay. I'm actually quite interested in why's that...I mean..." Aprilia started but then looked at her hands again.

"Well, it can be that our relationship status was quite complicated to say the least while he was there on Earth but... I don't know."

"Complicated?" Charley repeated.

"You know, we were not really together during that time...And then when they briefly visited Mars we got back together again but then he left to Earth yet again... You know, for a such a laidback man he's quite restless..." Aprilia drawled. Charley only smiled friendly before she turned more towards the Martian female, hunching a little on her seat.

"Do you... Still feel him? You know, with that... mind..walk...thing...?"

Aprilia only shook her head slowly.

"No... But I guess it just fades away, you know...The connection after awhile... Or then I'm just too tired to keep the connection..." She talked but then as her mind started to go again towards the more unpleasant feelings and fears she suddenly shook her head again and gave the Earth mechanic a smile.

"Anyway! Let's talk more about what it is that you're doing in here in secrecy like a mad scientist would!"

Charley gave a laugh.

"Well, since I managed to open that mind-control machine Rimfire stole from the government...I've been trying to understand how it works and well, it's quite fascinating to say the least! I'm constantly amazed by your technology here!" Charley then cleared her throat looking ashamed for some reason.

"Well, it's atleast intriguing to a nerd like myself but maybe I'd bore you with it...I might sometimes forget that not all get excited about a bunch of wires and gadgets..."

"No, no...! Please, tell me! Fellow-nerd signing up here...!" Aprilia turned enthusiastic while Charley raised her eyebrow at her, never seeing the calm doctor this hyped-up and the blonde female turned a bit shy again.

"I mean, I didn't become a doctor and a scientist by accident... I was the biggest nerd in my class..."

Charley smiled back and nodded approvingly.

"Modo has such a great taste in women." She said but then turned back on the machine and started to explain about all the things she had found out about the machine's technology.

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The ride was a bit bumpy as the trucks were driving through the old sand roads of the Brimstone city. It had turned dark already by the time Radius and the Loyals had comen to pick the five mice and two rats up outside the city hospital. It had been a tight fit but after all everyone managed to find space inside the two trucks alongside the 25 soldiers in each. Even the four bikes fitted in.

The streets were filled with holes in varius sizes so everytime the truck hit a hole everyone in the back of the truck jiggled in their place. It was hot, too as the truck was packed with Martians. During the short ride they had travelled since they left the hospital Modo had been trying to relax his mind even though feeling everyone's eyes on him and on his somewhat worn-out look, with his battlescars and injuries, his bionic arm, his blood-dried clothes...Even if the others in the truck were soldiers, quite much like himself, he was fully aware that he looked like he had gone through more wars than the others. And right now he didn't need that kind of attention that he normally got in every situation with new people. Normally he didn't care, but right now he just tried to block the outside world out and just stared at the truck's wall. But every once and awhile he gave glances on the far corner of the truck where Primer was sleeping on the floor on top of a big pile of Army blankets. As Radius along with the loyals had comen to pick them up the ex-Lieutenant had not been excited to learn out that Primer had gotten involved with this mess, too. After a brief but heated discussion between Radius, Stoker and Modo they had comen to a conclusion that for now Primer would stick around but they would try to come up a place where she would be safe. And that was anywhere but inside Brimstone City.

These soldiers he was currently sharing the ride with were also all very aware who was at the moment sitting amongst them. They had all heard about the rumours of the three best Fighters The Freedom Fighters had so now even if they all tried to be discreet about it, they all had their eyes on this large male, who was bigger than most of the mice they'd encountered, and who had a bionic arm attached to him and an eyepatch. The big grey furred male had been silent all this time as he had just been sitting there, looking straight ahead, not moving even a finger. Everyone could see that he had hurt himself recently as he had bandage wrapped around his side and left leg but he didn't show any signs of being hurt. He just looked like he was lost in his own thoughts. Another bump on the road and everyone bounced in their places.

"Man, the government surely should invest on the road perservation..." One soldier tried to crack a joke next to Modo but the Freedom Fighter, albeit being a big aficionado of humour, only closed his eye and tried to sit more comfortably, leaning back, his arms crossed, feeling suddenly how tired his body was after everything he had been through the last few weeks. What they had been through with his bros. They had been back on Mars less than a month but it felt longer since it had been pure craziness from the second they had stepped their biker boots back on the red soil again. He didn't even know what to think of it all. He only knew he was tired. He wished he could just crawl under a blanket and stay there for a few weeks. And to know that it would be impossible, that there was no rest in sight, it made him feel even more tired. Every bone and muscle in his body hurt. He had noticed that he didn't even have his normal body strength either as his body was just aching for some sleep, food and rest.

He knew this feeling, this level of fatigueness. It was familiar from the days of war. It was all familiar to him, the constant alertness, the long periods without any sleep or nurishment... One got used to the constant tiredness, though, and for the stomach crying for food, the stinging sensation all around the muscles...It wasn't nice, but one somehow managed to pull it off. Somehow one managed to find the ultimate stretch, the last bit of energy when needed. But it wasn't something anyone craved for, to live a life constantly on the edge of a breakdown.

As the grey furred male kept his eye closed, he could feel himself sinking deeper into this dreamland that felt ever so inviting right now. He was grateful he didn't share the ride with Vinnie who was currently in the other truck and he could imagine that there would be no sleep for anyone in that vehicle. Vinnie would not leave an opportunity like a truck full of new listeners to go by without telling all about his greatest and craziest adventures which were all very familiar to Modo. He had heard them all millions of times by now but what's more is that in many of those adventures he had, along with Throttle, being there as well. Something which Vinnie somehow managed to forget to tell in his animated and enthusiastic re-enactements.

Not that they should even be sleeping right now, it was all chaos at the moment, there was a huge risk in the attempt to cross the border. They could all be shot, or atleast try to be shot. But still, as his mind and body were so tired and as he had learnt to be very creative about the places and times when one could sleep, even if just a little while (a trick that every soldier usually learned pretty fast out on the battlefields...), he just couldn't keep his mind from slowly but surely making its' way to the dreamland where the memories morphed into a one big weird world.

_He saw the sun glimmering in the clear sky, it was as clear day as it could be in this red planet. The sun shining out there like a bright star, hurting his eyes a little as he was watching it. He turned his look away as he felt something velvety wrapping around his bare feet and ankles. He looked down and saw the waves of the ocean brushing against his grey furred legs. His skinny legs, that was an indication that he was very young in this vision. He followed the waves moving back out into the ocean again. It was amazing and beautiful. The ocean, the water... He remembered he had been coming here ever since he had learned how to walk. The Coal Bay...The birds were singing up in the sky, he looked up to see them flying above his head, he had not heard that birdsong in many years now. There were no oceans, no birds and no fish anymore on Mars but here it all felt so real.  
_

"_Modo!" He heard a familiar voice calling him and he turned his head from the sea and towards the small village by the shore, just under the mountains. _

"_Modo!" He saw his mother running from the village, her apron still on, her thick black hair dancing in the wind and she didn't have her glasses on. She looked like she was in her late forties, she had always being older than most of the mothers of the kids of his age. She shouted something to him, something he couldn't quite catch but she seemed to be in panic. His ears twitched as he tried to hear the words more clear in this loud wind that was always there by the ocean but he heard only the birds, the waves crashing against the rocks..._

"_Modo! Come back!" His mother was getting closer by every second._

"_They're attacking! We need to leave!" He suddenly felt his mothers arms around him, jerking him into movement. He nearly stumbled as his mother tried to force him to move faster._

"_Modo!"_

Modo startled as he woke up and looked around him in alertness only to see Simson's face infront of his.

"Modo? Sorry to wake you up, I know how much we miss the sleep but we seemed to have stopped..."

Modo cleared his throat and looked around him still in a bit of an unoriented state and noticed that the truck had indeed comen to a stop but the soldiers were all still sitting in their places, many of them staring at him. Modo swallowed but nodded at Simson.

"How long was Ah sleepin'? We've already crossed the borders?"

"No, it's been only a half an hour ride... I don't know where we are... Also as a rat I'm not too familiar with this city so your guess is as good as mine..." Simson talked while also feeling how the soldiers were having their keen eyes on him as well. He was a rat after all. And rats and mice did not really come along that well, their relationships between each other being awkward at best. Simson gave Seven a look who was sitting across to him, glaring at the mice back. His expression made it quite clear to anyone who made an eyecontact with him that he did not appreciate being goggled at. He then changed his look to meet Simson and he gave a nod at his leader.

"Boss, what's up?"

"Just wondering where we are... We couldn't have crossed the border already..." Simson talked but Seven only shrugged his shoulders back.

"Well, I don't know where we are either...I've been inside this four-wheel trampoline for the past thirty minutes as well..."

Simson nodded, but then they all heard steps outside and everyone inside the truck became alerted and placed their hands on their weapons. Inside the truck, no one could tell was it a friend or foe circling the truck. Soon the door to back was opened and Radius and Stoker peaked inside and everyone relaxed.

"We got ourselves a new plan. The Fighters contacted us just now and told that the route we were planning on using is already occupied by the Army." Radius started and Stoker then started to tap the floor of the truck along the rhythms apparently he only heard.

"Yeah, so Throttle sent us the coordinates to a place where we could rest for tonight. And longer if needed." The old Freedom Fighter looked chilled while the ex-Lieutenant next to him not so much.

"But if we wait... It could mean that it is even harder tomorrow to try to cross the border?" Simson asked but Radius shook his head.

"We have to do this the safest way, we're not on a suicide mission here. We need to know for sure what routes to use and that means we have to stop some place safe and I believe the place Throttle came up with is more than perfect."

"What is it then?" One Army soldier asked.

"Let's just say that for us Fighters anyway, it feels like coming home!" Stoker announced happily but enigmatically. Modo gave a sigh and leaned back again, closing his eye and he heard the door being closed and soon the truck nudged into movement again.

"Yeah, sure, why bother telling us about the place...We're only part of this mess..." Seven muttered, crossing his arms and legs. A slight smile appeared on Modo's face as he still kept his eye closed but listened to the speculations that started to go around the truck about the possible places where they would be heading. He knew where Throttle had sent them and yeah, in some sense, it was like coming home...

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_Okay, there was the latest chapter for you all... Hope you guys liked it and feel free to leave a comment! I'm sorry if it lacked Vinnie, sort of... And I know many of you out there would like to have more Vinnie/Charley thing here but don't worry, there will come more Vinnie/Charley action in the near-future :)_


	23. Chapter 23: The Two Sleepless

_Hey everyone!_

_First of all, I'd like to thank all of you readers out there who have been reading this story and also the prequel! Thank you all so much! I also noticed that there are readers all around the world and I'm so thrilled that our fandom has got enthusiasts from all around the globe!_

_Second of all... Writing this chapter took a bit longer again... But I'm trying to bring more depth into this story again and I wanted to do it right. Sometimes I like to write these maybe a bit more "nonchalant" chapters in-between and then I'm back with the more in-depth chapters, I don't know. But that's life also, sometimes there's light and sometimes there's darkness, sometimes things go smoothly and then suddenly another storm arrives... And I don't mean I'm about to write really messed-up anxiety things, but just more in-depth storylines again... To really study these characters and shed some light on their past and what they've been through and who they really are._

_So, without further ado... Here's chapter 23 for you all!_

_Hope you guys like it and feel free to leave a comment!_

_Later!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 23**

**The Two Sleepless  
**

Aprilia tossed and turned in her sleep. Well, she wasn't actually in a sleep since her brain was so active it might as well be running a marathon. She opened her eyes once again and glared at the ceiling inside her little room, her blonde hair covering her pillow like a wild vine that was slowly taking over her pillow and her bed. She had been awake a few days already and it started to take a toll on her body and mind. But even if she tried she could't sleep. Not since she had mindwalked. And if she had nodded off, she had had nightmares.

After her mindwalk-experience she couldn't really focus her mind on anything. It felt like her mind was in a fluid state and she couldn't really concentrate on one single thought. It was like she no longer was in-control over her own mind. First it had been intriguing as why was that, simply from a scientific point of view but then after awhile it started to get annoying and then scary. She just felt that something was wrong. And the images she kept seeing in her head were not her memories nor did they feel like her own thoughts. And what was even more perplexing was the fact that all these thoughts suddenly popping up in her head with the increasing speed, had no connection on anything. On anything she could think of atleast. It was like a stream of random toughts and images.

Aprilia gave an irritated grunt as she just couldn't stop her mind racing and she sat upright, flinging her legs over the bed and hunched forward, placing her palms on her temples, suddenly feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. It was worse when she was alone like now. Because when she was alone her mind had the chance to really run free. Had she gone crazy? Was that it? Had this mindwalking experience switched something on inside of her and now her mind had trouble switching it off again? She didn't know... But what she did know was that the one person who might have the answers or even some thoughts about it was currently not around. Stoker might be many things but he did know a lot about Martian history and about the old customs, tales and religions and he knew a lot about mindwalking. She didn't know from where his knowlegde came from but right now she sure would've liked to have a conversation with him and maybe get some clarity into this all.

She closed her eyes tightly and tried to take control over her own thoughts with more determination, pressing her eyelids tighter and tighter before they hurt and thus she opened them and just ran her small hands over her light tan coloured face, not succeeding to focus her mind. Finally she got up, swaying a little as she felt quite lightheaded having not slept at all and with her mind like a merry-go-round with thoughts and visions flickering inside her mind.

She pulled on her grey dress that still was the only piece of her own clothing she had but feeling a bit chilly this night, she also grabbed one of Modo's dark hoodies and put that on too, making her seem like she was wearing a hooded dress on top of her own one, the hemline of the hoodie reaching over her knees and the sleeves were comically too long but she didn't mind. Surrounding herself with his musky smell calmed her nerves down and that was what she needed right now. To feel calm and secure.

While trying to pull up those long sleeves and gathering rolls of fabric around her soft arms she left her room and with careful steps she walked towards the kitchen, to make some tea.

As it turned out, Aprilia was not the only one who had trouble sleeping that night and as the fair blonde haired doctor stepped into the kitchen and flicked the lights on, she in an instant saw Harley sitting by the table and the petite doctor startled a little.

"Oh..." Aprilia only stated while finding someone sitting there in the dark.

The ginger-coloured mechanic merely raised her look that was in between friendly and not-interested and only gave her a nod back before turning her gaze back to her tea mug. Aprilia walked towards the kettle and found that the water had just been boiled and took a clay mug from the third shelf to where she just reached if standing on her toes. As she sprinkled some herbs to her mug and poured hot water to cover it all, she gave careful glances towards Harley's direction who was still sitting by the table just staring into her mug. Aprilia took her mug and walked over to her.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Harley only gave her another look but now a small smirk appeared on her lips.

"Well, it would be quite rude for you to take your cup to another table as we're only us two in here this time of the night..." Her husky voice replied.

"Yeah, that leads me to my next question... Why are you sitting here in the dark?" Aprilia asked as she sat down opposite of her.

"Well..." Harley gave a deep sigh and then straightened her posture a bit before slumping back to hunch over the table.

"Sometimes things look more clear in the dark... If that kinda philosophical bullshit logic sounds right..."

Aprilia nodded back with a gentle smile.

"Actually, it does sound like it could be true..."

"Yeah, well..." Harley only replied like the thing she had just said had actually no meaning to her whatsoever but she still remained looking thoughtful.

"Trouble sleeping as well?" The Martian mechanic then asked the doctor and Aprilia sighed.

"I'm having troubles to exist at the moment...I'm in a very weird place right now..."

That answer got Harley to raise her look, to study her friend a bit before she then suddenly gave a laugh that reminded of a waterfall and she reached out to something hidden underneath the table.

"That sounds like you need the good ol' Martian liquor as well..." And the mechanic poured golden-coloured liquid into Aprilia's teacup, to fill it to the brim.

"Wait, no, that's not what..." Aprilia only got to say but gave a small laughter.

"You're drinking here in the dark? Is that what's going on in here?"

"I think that's a very accurate description of the situation, yes." Harley only replied and then lifted her cup and nodded Aprilia to do the same and Aprilia shook her head a bit amused and lifted her cup as well.

"Here's to the Freedom Fighters!" Harley only raised her voice.

"And to the women behind them!" Aprilia added with a smile.

"To Mars!"

"To Mars!"

"And to the mess our lives has become!" Harley finally stated before they clinked their clay mugs before taking big gulps that only made them cough while feeling the destinctive taste and sensation of the strong booze going down their throats.

"This the same liquor you made me drink after I told you I was getting married?" Aprilia asked.

"The very same. Living out here in the desert can prevent people from keeping an extensive variety of booze...I bought this from the Next Exit bar many months back..." Harley replied.

"So, what mess were you referring to?" Aprilia then asked carefully, stroking the coarse texture of the clay mug. Harley gave a sigh while staring into her cup.

"Well... After a bit of soul-searching and a lot of inner debates it turned out that I love Vinnie after all."

Aprilia glared at the female back.

"Oh..."

"Yes, exactly. Hence the booze." Harley replied sarcastically and only took another swig from her mug.

"I thought you were already...you know...over him?" Aprilia studied the mechanic infront of her who seemed already a bit tipsy, sitting there in her greasy work overalls and white t-shirt that had bike oil on it.

"I thought so too...Well, I wanted to be. But I guess it's not about what someone wants...Ever." Harley shrugged her shoulders, her a bit raspy voice becoming a string of barely-to-be-heard mumble.

"...to be frank I thought that there was something going on between you and Stoker again." Aprilia continued and Harley gave a small laughter.

"Me and Stoker... We share this really weird relationship..."

"I can imagine..." Aprilia added in dryly.

"Yeah, so...And it's always been weird...and slightly awkward, sexy but awkward... but still, I care about him, deeply. We've shared some good times...But I've never figured out if that's like real love that I'm feeling for him or am I just having daddy-issues..." Harley pondered and caused Aprilia to give a small giggle before she gave a deep sigh.

"Well...I'm afraid Vinnie's already taken..." The blonde female said with a soft voice.

"Yeah I know, I might have to kill the alien." Harley brought the cup close to her lips again.

"Harley!"

The mechanic only gave a guffaw and drank more booze-tea-mixture from her cup.

"Only joking here...Not that it would be too difficult though, we're surrounded by weapons and there's like an endless desert out there...No one would find her..."

"Glad to hear you haven't thought this through already..." Aprilia answered dryly. Harley gave a small huff while turning the mug infront of her, pondering still. She then raised her look to meet Aprilia's eyes.

"You think he's happy? You think she makes him happy?"

"Well, he seems happy...But then again he's like this bouncing ball and I don't know if there's anyone who can actually catch him...You know, he has this facade and not many people can tear it down...But who knows, you know? Maybe he's happy? But you know the bond between two people is sacred..."

"I know." Harley nodded and ran her fingers through her thick ginger coloured hair, looking like she agreed but didn't necessary like it.

"...And that is why I'm drinking here in the dark." The mechanic then added and was to pour more booze to her cup but Aprilia took the bottle away from her.

"Or...Maybe we can try to ease on the alcohol...?"

"Ugh, you're just like Stoker..." Harley muttered but then gave a sigh.

"But what if he's the one for me? What if Vinnie is my only true love?"

Aprilia blinked a few times but then gave a sigh and poured more booze to Harley's cup.

"Okay, maybe you'll need a bit more..."

Harley leaned to her palm, shaking her head.

"Me and Vinnie... We were these two crazy kids who just somehow collided... It was like love-at-first-sight...Even if he was a bit younger than me, I didn't mind... Even his irresponsible behaviour seemed very appealing to me... Still does...Everytime I'm around him it just gives me the shivers and it makes my heart ache." Harley looked into her cup.

"...And I think Charley's great and all, as a person... But why she got the chance to love him? Why she got the chance and not me? Why I don't seem to have a chance in love?" Harley's voice had started to break but she quickly shut her mouth and only shook her head.

"It's just not fair. I was captured nearly three years...And all that time I was telling that it was all going to be okay in the end, that maybe there's something waiting for me out here, when I'd finally get myself free... And then I was free and then they came back to Mars...He came back. And I just thought that..." Harley interrupted and swallowed before she only shook her head more violently.

"But it doesn't work that way. Life doesn't work that way." The mechanic took another swig from her mug as she placed her mug back on the table she suddenly startled as she felt the light and warm touch on her hand and saw the light tan furred hand resting on top of her's.

"I'm sorry." Aprilia whispered as she didn't know what else to say but squeezed her palm more firmly. Harley gave her a small smile back before turning her gaze back to her mug again. Her look changed into thoughtful again and she corrected her posture.

"You trusted me with your secret about getting married so.. can you keep a secret?" She then asked with a husky whisper. Aprilia nodded.

"Sure. I can keep a secret. If it's not my own that is..." She added with a wry smile. Harley nodded still looking into her mug. There was a small silence before she opened her mouth again.

"You remember the c-section scar that I have...?" She asked and Aprilia only nodded back. Remembered? She had been shocked to see the scar on Harley's belly and to witness how the mechanic had completely shut down from the subject. Harley nodded back before raising her eyes to meet Aprilia's.

"Wanna know who's the father?"

Aprilia only stared at her, not really knowing how to take in this sudden urge from Harley's part to open up like this, but the answer hit her before Harley had the chance to give it.

"Vinnie is the father?" Aprilia lowered her small soft voice as a whisper.

"Yup. He's her father, yes." Harley corrected and took a big gulp from her mug again and after swallowing the liquor she had to cough into her fist as the strong booze travelled inside her.

Aprilia couldn't believe what she was hearing and she just shook her head.

"Her's? It's a girl?! Where's she now?"

"She's safe. With another family." Harley answered and seemed to swallow down her tears.

"With the rats?"

Harley shook her head.

"No... I lied to you all when telling that I ended up out here in desert after I left the rat territory... It didn't really go like that, I did flee the rats but I had my daughter with me... I managed to get back inside the Mice Territory... We were exhausted, we had been walking out there in the desert for days, without food or anything to drink...I don't know how that's even possible, how we survived...I've been thinking that ever since... It has to be some kind of a miracle...And she was sleeping in my arms..." Harley's voice broke and she covered her mouth and there were tears glimmering in her eyes. Aprilia squeezed the mechanic's palm tighter and as they were a telepathic breed, Harley could feel Aprilia's love through her touch and she felt like she was safe and that she did not judge. She felt safe to tell her story. Harley cleared her throath, biting her lower lip, trying to control her emotions that were starting to pile up and finally rising to the surface. Stubborn to show any weakness until the end she was.

"...she was sleeping in my arms... I could barely walk... And the first house I came across, the very first one inside the territory... I just... I thought that she atleast deserved to have a good life. And I just left her there, sleeping on the doorsteps..."

Aprilia felt her heart pounding faster. She had had no idea what Harley had been through since she had never told the truth or wanted to talk about the three years she had been away. But after telling finally the truth, Aprilia now knew already how the story was to end and she carefully opened her mouth.

"So you walked back to the desert...?"

"I didn't care anymore what happened to me... I didn't even know if any of my comrades were alive... I heard Mace and the others bragging how these Freedom Fighters had been caught and killed... That we were now considered as traitors of the planet, that everyone wanted us dead... And I just thought that everything had comen to an end...That there would be no future... That I would be dead anyway..." Harley confessed but then wiped her eyes and took a deep sigh, having to wipe her eyes again.

"Gods damn it... Can't stop the tears..."She tried to speak through her emotions, still trying to keep the emotions inside her and Aprilia quickly walked around the table and took her into a loving and comforting hug, stroking her hair and feeling her shiver against her while going through this story in her head all over again but all the time feeling that her thougths were been suffocated and buried under flashing images and strange memories...

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_And that was the latest chapter, folks! _

_Hopefully, you like it and feel free to comment!_

_Until next time!_

_-SpaceFlora_


	24. Chapter 24:It's Like Walking In The Dark

_Hey hey hey! What's up?_

_I'm back! Took me some time...  
_

_I hope everyone's okay and healthy out there! Sending all my love to this great fanbase in a form of my latest chapter. Finally. _

_Here it is. Chapter 24 (already?) Hope you guys are still with me since the story will be evolving from here rapidly! And when I say rapidly it means, well, it can take time sure for me to write it down...  
_

_Hope you guys enjoy it and feel free to leave a review, like always! They're much appreciated!_

_Stay safe out there!_

_All the love,_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 24**

**It's Like Walking In The Dark**

The ex-Lieutenant looked out of the truck window, riding the shotgun. It was night time, pitch-dark, and as they were currently hundreds of kilometres away from the closest habitat, there were no lights anywhere, only the headlamps of these two big trucks were piercing through the blackness and the two moons in the distant night sky with the blanket of stars cradled them in this chilly night. Radius turned his look back on the vast control panel setting mounted into the truck cabin and he noticed something strange in the radar. He knocked the radar's glass but the image stayed the same.

"What's the matter, sir?" The soldier driving the vehicle asked but Radius only furrowed a little before he took his walkie-talkie.

"I don't know, but if there's one thing I've learned during my time in the Army is that when there are unidentified dots on the radar following you, it's never a good thing..." He muttered and then pressed the button on the walkie-talkie, bring the device close to his mouth.

"Stoker?"

"_Yo, what's up, trucker twin from another vehicle?" _Stoker's voice echoed and rattled from the device as he was currently sitting in the other truck.

"We've got trouble." Radius only replied, stern-faced as always.

"_Oh? Does the trouble look pretty?"_

"Well, it's coming on fast..."

"_Hot and willing! Sounds like a date!" _Stoker's voice sounded excited and Radius only shook his head, not sharing the enthusiasm.

"Has anyone ever told you that on top of your dirty tactics you've got a dirty mind?"

"_Well, war ain't a clean job, trooper boy."_

Radius gave a sigh.

"You've got a manouver ready in that deviant mind of your's? A plan of some kind?"

"_Well, unlike the Army, us Fighters are always prepared..."_

"Right...Just spill it out before I change my mind and let you guys walk through the desert..."

"_Let's see here... I'm just checking the map... The vehicles can see us?"_

"Doubt it. They're still very far. But they seem to be driving straight at us nonetheless..."

"_Well then, we have to get rid of any too keen followers as we're only an hour away from our sleep-over place Throttle pointed out to us... Let's see just how well-notified these guys currently are of our whereabouts. What d'ya say if we turn our trucks and hide behind the bigger mountain there up ahead? We can detect if they will make the turn as well..."_

"You think they know where we are going?"

"_B__etter safe than sorry ya know..."_

"We are driving stolen Army vehicles that are loaded with military-turnacoats and a couple of loose-screws from the infamous guerilla troop, all traitors of the government, not to mention shitloads of weapons... There's nothing safe in this..." Radius talked but then made the decision.

"Fine, we'll take a turn to right and go play hide and seek... Over and out." Radius then nodded towards the looming black shape infront of them and the caravan of the two big trucks headed that way.

As they had driven fifteen minutes they stopped the trucks and Stoker hopped off the truck's shotgun seat and marched to the other truck next to where Radius was already waiting for him, holding a portable radar device in his hand, showing it to the old Fighter.

"These spots here... There are many of them, it's all a big blur..."

"They've already taken a turn towards us?" Stoker asked and Radius observed the screen but then nodded.

"Yeah. They're making their way straight to here..."

Stoker gave a sigh but then turned on his heels and marched towards the end of the other truck, leaving Radius cluelessly staring after him.

"Is that a "I've got a plan"-walk you've got there, outlaw?" Radius raised his voice but followed the dark brown furred male anyway whose half-silvery gray hair danced along the cold desert air.

"Yeah... They're tracking us down... Someone's hiding a tracker..."

"You think we've got a traitor in here?" Radius asked dubiously but Stoker shook his head.

"Nah... I think whoever is following us has planted a tracker to one of us... And guess which two we just picked up from their little adventure...?"

Stoker got the back door of the truck opened and peaked inside.

"Modo! Simson! Get your asses over here!"

Soon the big grey mouse and the brown furred rat climbed out of the truck, carefully as they both were injured and it still hurt to move. As Modo stood next to the truck, looking around him his expression changed into baffled.

"So...What are we doing out here in the middle o'nowhere, coach?" He asked carefully, giving Stoker a look but changed it to his brother-in-law, but Radius only looked away as he didn't know what Stoker was up to either. But Stoker wasn't going to reveal that either as he only turned around and left the trucks, waving his hand for a signal for them three to follow and they walked a little further away from the trucks into the darkness. Simson cringed a bit as it hurt to walk but he was taking very careful steps also because he still had trouble standing up due to the lack of his tail now. He gave his surroundings concerned looks while trying to dodge the bigger stones in the darkness.

"No offense, but you might be a bit more elaborate there, Stoker, since I feel like walking the green mile here...You intend to shoot us out here in the desert...?" His voice told the others that he was only half-joking. They had been gone a few days with Modo, who knows what had been happening during that time... And as the times were chaotic, anything could've been happening during their absence. Also, to live on a planet that was constantly having a war towards whoever had their turn that time... It made the Martians a bit more cautious.

Stoker only gave a small guffaw while walking first in the line, shaking his head amused and as it seemed that the spot they now had reached pleased him, he turned around and nodded at Modo and Simson.

"Strip."

"Sorry?" Modo raised his eyebrow but it wasn't noticeable in the darkness. Or it wouldn't have been hadn't Stoker suddenly turned on his flashlight and pointed it straight at the big tall male and the much shorter brown rat standing next to him. They both covered their eyes from the extreme light.

"Shit, that's bright! Is this an interrogation of some sorts...?" Simson grunted annoyed, trying to peak through the gaps of his fingers at the two men standing presumably infront of them somewhere but there was no way telling now as he couldn't see them due to the bright white light.

"Get off of those clothes." Stoker only replied. Radius gave them all a curious look, standing beside Stoker.

"You think the tracker is planted on them?" The tall white ex-Lieutenant asked the Fighters' commander.

"Tracker? Ah ain't got a tracker on me!" Modo growled but Stoker only sighed starting to get annoyed a well.

"Take those clothes off now, or I'll leave you here in the desert... I ain't messin' around, kiddo. And do it quickly, too! We ain't got the whole night here..."

Modo gave Simson a look but they then started to take off their clothes. They both took off their vests and they could feel how the desert wind blew harder against their skin and fur and their fresh scars.

"It's cold..." Modo complained while throwing the vest on the sand.

"Yeah, yeah..." Stoker didn't seem to be too interested and only nodded towards Modo's boots.

"The boots..."

The grey giant sighed and pulled his biker boots off just like Simson next to him did, hopping on their other foot and then changing into the other one. As they've taken the boots off they could feel the little hard grains of sand prickling under their bare feet.

"See? No tracker." Simson even tilted his boot around as if something could've dropped out of the boot.

"Well, don't stop now when this was just gettin' interesting..." Stoker smirked in the darkness, referring to the pants they both still had on.

"Ya kiddin' right?" Modo asked, changing his weight to the other foot while absent-mindedly stroking his right side, feeling the bandage that was covering his fresh stitches. It stinged even from a light touch.

"Hey, you think I'm enjoying this sad excuse of a strip-tease, Big Fella'? Take them off." Stoker replied dryly.

Modo inhaled a deep breath and started to unbuckled his belt, shaking his head.

"Ah think the union might have a few words to say about this..."

"Maybe if we would belong to one..." Stoker only smiled back, not that the two half-dressed men could see it as the light pointed at them was very bright still.

Modo and Simson both threw their belts on the ground and then started to unbutton their pants as Stoker and Radius gave the radar device another look.

"How close are they?" Stoker asked his brows furrowed.

"I would say fifteen minutes...Maybe ten." Radius estimated as they both heard another thump as more clothes had been thrown into the pile on the sand. Stoker and Radius raised their looks and despite the seriousness of the situation their corners of their mouths started to twitch with humour.

"Chilly is it?" Modo heard Radius' voice as the grey furred male was now standing there naked, his hands placed strategically, trying to cover his private parts. Modo only gave a glare back, shaking his head, looking pissed off, his eye blinking on and off, before glancing around them but there was only darkness.

"Relax, Big Guy...Ah doubt there'll be paparazzis out here...And even if there were I doubt you'd make it to the next Playmouse issue..." Stoker only huffed while going through the pile of clothes with a little tracker detecting device but it didn't beep. He frowned a bit.

"See? Ah told ya we ain't got a tracker on us..." Modo only mumbled but shivered from the cold breeze.

"Well, if you don't have it planted on your clothes it could only mean..." Stoker turned around with the small tracking device towards the two naked Martians.

"I swear if you're gonna put on a plastic glove, you'll just have to try and shoot me 'cause I'll be long gone!" Simson took a hasty step back.

"...just stand still..." Stoker walked to him and started to run the detecter device near Simson's body, scanning everywhere while the rat was also trying to cover his most private parts.

"Turn." Stoker only told him and the rat turned around, now facing Modo. His eyes then fell to look near to where Modo was keeping his hands at the moment.

"Oh, you got a tattoo? I haven't seen it before..." The dark brown furred rat asked surprised.

"Why would'ya? We ain't in that friendly terms yet..." Modo only mumbled back. Simson only made a face but nodded.

"What symbol is that?" The rat asked still curious.

"It's a symbol of "can you please raise ya look from my privy parts?" Modo's eye blinked a bit and Simson nodded back, raising his look.

"Roger that..." The rat chuckled back as Stoker then started to scan Modo's body with the device, looking for the tracker. Modo let out a sigh, trying to tempt down his again rising annoyance but just when the device was on his flesh forearm it suddenly started to beep.

"Aha!" Stoker shouted and made the others nearly jump.

"Aha what?" Modo frowned, trying to see something on his forearm, but couldn't.

"It's only skin..." He started.

"That's easy to check..." Stoker concluded and took his knife from his belt with one swift movement that caused Modo to take one step backwards.

"...is there a way to check that doesn't include slicin' me up?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Stoker took a step forward and took Modo's arm, trying to find something underneath the skin even if it looked like there was no mark.

"It can be very tiny..." Stoker talked and then brought the sharp tip of the knife on contact with the skin just visible through Modo's grey fur, still feeling the place but when he was sure or atleast somewhat sure that he got the right spot, he pressed the knife's tip carefully inside the skin and Modo made a grunt and looked away. Man, this really was not his week... And just as he felt the knife turning slightly under his skin and as he started to feel slightly sick to his stomach, it was all over and he blinked and gave Stoker another look. The old male was holding something on his palm and everyone gathered around to look at it. It was a tiny tiny circuit board.

"See?" Stoker only stated but then knelt and placed the little tracker on a stone nearby and with the end of his knife he crushed it. After that was done he only stood up, flipped the knife back to the holster on his thigh and started to walk back towards the trucks.

"Okay, let's hustle."

Radius had a faint smile on his lips as he gave the two naked Martians a look before walking after the commander of the Freedom Fighters.

"Better get dressed, soldiers, you don't wanna catch the cold..."

Modo gave a quick look to his forearm where now was a small streak of blood dripping but then he and Simson quickly gathered all their clothes and got dressed in before trying to hurry after the two male despite their injuries.

x

x

Throttle was looking at the border from further away, behind the dark sand dunes. It was still night and he had to use the nightvision to be able to count how many soldiers there were at the border. After counting the soldiers in this area alone, he gave a sigh and withdrew behind the dunes again, staying down to prevent the Army's eager patrol eyes seeing him as well. He got up once he was safely on the other side of the dune and walked towards the Fighters and one rebel rat that had stayed with them in this spot as they had divided into two groups as the other half of them were currently patroling closer their Headquarters.

"So?" Maico asked, rolling her weapon using her index finger.

"There's no way they can cross the border from here either..." Throttle muttered, his brow furrowed as he was deep in his thoughts. He then scratched his chin and looked around.

"Any news from the other team?" He asked.

"Nope..." Hudson shook his head, hunching with his his big body over the handlebars of his bike. Throttle nodded before giving a frustrated sigh and placing his arms behind his neck, walking a bit further away from this group of guerilla fighters. He shook his head and finally lowered his arms and ran his palm over his face.

He just couldn't keep his mind from constantly making up scenarios around everything they did know by now and about all the things they only had hunches. How had all things comen to this? During the war people of Mars had been on their side. Well, at least a big majority of the citizens have known that the Fighters were the good guys. Now, their own government were hellbent to keep them out of the mouse territory just when it was a critical time to fight back what should've been a mutual enemy. How could they fight back if the ones they were suppose to help didn't want their help? Or was the government only taking actions that were not supported by their own citizens? It was hard to know since they couldn't just go and ask the people what were their thougths on all this.

As Throttle had comen to the conclusion that the Plutarkians had their dirty fins all over this matter he just couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that, it would seem, their current government could be as corrupted as their last government. But who took orders from who? Were the Cave Mouse government taking bribes in gold gills or did they gain something more from this all? Why would they be doing this again? Had not the history shown already what could happen when letting a species from another planet to interfiere with their things? Throtte knew that history usually repeated itself but this was happening very soon after the war with the Plutarkians and the last scandal where the Cave Mice had learned that their own government had infact tried to sell their home planet to the highest bidder. Why they were doing the same mistakes again? And how could they fight against them? Against their own government? If the people believed their government to be right and just they could see the Fighters' attack against the government as an act of treason and as a way of trying to overthrow their trusty government. It could turn very nasty. And with every bad move the Fighters would make, would make them look more and more unreliable and more dangerous in the eyes of the citizens. They would start to fear them. It was like they could only lose, whatever they did. Somehow, the people of Mars needed to learn out the truth. But that could put them all into jeopardy, too and he didn't want that. Because everything they did and everything they have ever done had been for the people of Mars. Their safety was a priority.

But they were the Freedom Fighters. Their only mission was to fight for the freedom of their people. But could they even be fighting for people who didn't know they needed to be freed? How could they win this without too many people getting hurt because their brothers had been slaughtered already, in silence, in secret. Mice gone missing and there were no news about that in the papers. Only their faces decorating the covers of the magazines, with screaming headlines telling people to be aware of these renegades. Did people actually buy all that? Somehow they needed to have a reliable contact, to ask from the people what was it that they actually knew...

"Man..." Throttle then let out a small sigh still looking out into the distance.

"Things were much simpler during the war...Atleast then we knew the score... Now, it's like walking in the dark..." He continued nearly whispering, mainly talking to himself and the Fighters behind him barely got to hear the words.

"It sure was simpler..." Maico sighed sitting on her bike, scratching her scalp underneath her dark brown hair with the barrel of her gun.

"It is simpler when one just gets to shoot the villains." She added, sounding nearly wistful. Hudson gave a guffaw next to her.

"So, what's stopping ya now then? Just go over the hill with your guns blazing, why don't you?"

"Right... It ain't that simple now... Now, for some reason I feel...unsure..." Maico replied, not really eager to admit that. Throttle turned to her and nodded.

"This situation we're in does make us vulrenable. Because we have doubt. About everything."

"Well, we're only a tiny handful of fighters against thousands and thousands of them, against a whole machinery..." Hudson mumbled back and a silence fell over them. Throttle nodded.

"Yes. And that if anything should make us fight with even more stamina and determination. We need to fight back, we owe that much to the ones we've lost." Throttle sat down on his bike and gave Maico a look.

"Watch the border, I'm going to get a signal from the other group. There must be a way for our brothers to cross the border. We need to get them here. There's just something that ain't right here... And I can't say that I like it."

x

x

The lights flickered on before the whole garage wass filled with brightness. Harley stretched a bit before walking towards a few bikes she had been tinkering with just to get the time by. Her head felt a bit foggy as she had maybe drank a bit too much Martian liquor with her tea during the night-time, luckily Aprilia had taken the bottle with her as the roundfaced medic had left to sleep for what ever few hours there still was before the dawn. Harley had headed straight to the garage as she had figured there won't be any sleep anyways, she might as well work. Maybe this was what she needed now anyways, some peace and quiet to clear her messy head. To try and clear out these thoughts about Vinnie, once and for all... He had clearly chosen this Earthling, right? Her chances were over. Maybe for good. There would hardly be another man for her out there that could cause her heart to skip beats like this white daredevil did. Gods. Why hadn't she bought two bottles of liquor instead of one, she would really need one drink yet, just to ease up, just to try and forget about it all. Forget Vinnie. Forget her daughter. Their daugher. Their future.

"Need help?"

Harley nearly fell on her ass as she was currently knelt down infront of one of the machines as she heard this soft voice speaking behind her. She had not heard her entering the room, mainly because she was too distracted and too drunk. She only cleared her throat and shook her head, without giving Charley a look.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Okay..." Charley nodded quietly, feeling through the Martian mechanic's husky voice that she might not be welcomed here at the moment, for whatever reason that might be but she had figured that this was just Harley. Unpredictable. So she only was to turn around and leave the garage but then changed her mind and instead the Earthling took a seat next to a table full of bike parts and other crap.

"Okay. Clearly I have somehow offended you...or something. I don't know. But I'd like a some sort of an explanation or a reason or...I mean I thought that things were okay between us while we were talking outside the base...Remember? When I tried to flee this joint..? When you actually used the phrase _Welcome on board..._Was that just some kinda bullshit?" The auburn haired mechanic rambled, trying to find the right words but she just couldn't really find them. Or then she knew exactly the right words but refused to say them out loud.

Harley rolled her eyes, still not giving Charley a look as she was picking up a wrench from a tool box next to her. Okay, she had said that, she had said _Welcome on board..._But, what can she say...Things had changed since then, she had found out that she was infact still in love with Vinnie...And maybe she had been all this time, there still was a connection between them, she was sure of it but things were difficult, namely because of this Earthling now standing in the garage... And not to mention that she was suffering from a hangover, she really would have liked her privacy right now.

"Not really in a mood for talkin', honey..."

"Why I've got the feeling that you're never really in the mood for talking with me?" Charley's voice started to be a bit more piercing and Harley's movements stopped just for second but it was long enough for Charley to notice the tiny falter in her. The ginger coloured mechanic then only shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't take it personally, I've just got a lot to do around here... We're having a mission and that includes a lot of duties and work."

"Right. You know I know there ain't that much to do around here, not right now anyway..."

"Maybe not for you since you're not part of the mission." Harley's husky voice cut through the already thick air like a knife and Charley only stared at the knelt-down figure's back. All these lines and words and feelings started to pile up inside her, burning her throat, just begging to be let out but she wouldn't let them out. Instead after a few seconds she stood up still having her green eyes on the ginger female and she just shook her head and left the garage.

Harley heard the steps in the hallway and she closed her eyes and hung her head. Yes, she knew she had been mean and yes she had done that in purpose but right now, she just couldn't even stand to look at the alien female. Not right now. She needed time.

x

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x

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	25. Chapter 25: A Monk Called Riot

_Heya!_

_Thanks for all the reviews! Thanks Vlaatjee and Margarite987re for your continuos support and messages! Thanks also to wolftattoo for your both reviews, thanks for your energy put into the comments and thougths! I'm grateful for you all to take the time to write a few (or more) lines after the chapters!_

_Okay, so this chapter was more quick to upload here since I already had written majority of it when uploading the last chapter, just had to edit it a bit._

_Well, let's get into the next chapter, shall we?_

_Here's chapter 25 for you all wonderful readers out there!_

_I hope you'll enjoy it and please leave a review after reading it, I love reading your comments and thoughts!_

_Peace and stay safe,_

_SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 25**

**A Monk Called Riot**

The tracking device stayed silent as Mace tried to search for the signals using different frequencies. It had taken him a good twenty minutes already but the device remained silent. In the end he put the device on his side and sat down on his bike, hunching all still, to the other rats around him he looked defeated or deep in his thoughts.

"Erh...Mace?" One of the rats asked carefully and gave a look around him, to meet the mutually worried looks everyone had now as they were all regarding their leader, sitting on their black bikes in the desert, in the middle of the noman's land. They had been following the signal coming from the microchip they had planted on one of the Fighters but suddenly the signal had stopped.

"...Boss...?" The rat tried again and then Mace did move but he only flung his other leg over the bike and sat comfortably on it.

"They propably found the microchip and broke it... That doesn't matter now... I've still got an ace in the hole and these bloody freedom fanatics really crave for the blood... Well, if they wanna play, I'm ready." Mace only replied and without giving his men a look he opened his mouth again while starting his bike.

"You go back to our base."

"Where are you going then?" One of the rats asked in a bit of a disbelief.

"I'm having a meeting." Mace merely replied as he quickly gassed off, back towards the Mouse Territory and Brimstone City. First he needed to find one of the entrences of the tunnel system, he had to use the tunnels to get himself back to the Mice Territory so the citizens wouldn't recognize a rat on their lands.

As he was driving he was already making up a plan. First, he needed to contact the Plutarkians, he needed more time to catch these bloody vermins. He would have to ask the Plutarkians if they could arrange a meeting with the Mice Government, as well. Well, they really didn't have a choice if they wanted these rebels out once and for all. How wonderful it was that atleast he had alleys in this manhunt and what's even more important, it would be only a matter of time before these tiresome troublegivers would get caught...and even better, he had a plan that will make them all turn themselves in. What the rebels were doing now was merely prolonging their own demise which would be inevitable.

Mace couldn't help but smile to this idea. Soon, this all will come to an end. Soon, he would get his son back from the Plutarkians and he'll be long gone. Soon he'll be able to say farewell to this dead planet, to this already lost land. The Plutarkians could have it for all he cared. He only wanted his son. And that was enough for he was done with everything else. His moment of turning the clear page was near and he got a tremendous amount of energy when thinking about it. But first, he needed the Fighters dead.

x

x

Mina was looking at the old photo of a baby, absent-mindedly stroking its' surface. She felt a tear falling down her cheek which she wiped quickly away. The whitehaired female had a feeling, as she was sitting beside a long wooden table in the dining hall of the Headquarters, that this whole mess was her fault. Everything had spiralled into this, from the first poor choices she had made. She had been too blindly in love with Mace back in the days of war to see who he really was and when she had finally learned that out she had been too weak to do anything to prevent these things from happening. Too many people had been hurt because of her stupid mistakes, because of her own stupidity. And her son... He could be dead for all she knew since she hadn't seen or heard about him for many years now. She couldn't even feel him anymore, if he was alive, he was a long gone, he wouldn't be anymore on this planet. She had caused her own blood to die or to be taken away for gods know to what purpose, maybe even for slavery. Her own child, her own flesh and blood.

She had known Mace was a traitor. If she would've told the Fighters they had a traitor amongst them, who knows what could've happened? Maybe the Fighters could have even succeeded in their mission to free the planet. But she had been a coward and taken the easy route. She had followed the orders given to her, she had spied the Fighters, taken pictures of these formely anonymous guerilla soldiers and thanks to her, now these photos had been dugged out from whatever secret files they had been stored into and everyone on Mars could spot their faces on the papers along with lists of accusations towards each one of them and long articles full of lies. The Fighters would not be able to get a fresh start even if they wanted to, no one would trust them anymore, not now since apparently the whole mice population was against them, trying to keep them out of their homes, out of the Mouse Territory. They were the villains now. They were literally the outcasts.

But what could've she done? She had done everything to protect her son. They had promised to return him to her if she did what asked for and she had done everything...But they never gave her son back. Maybe they had killed him as soon as they had gotten their hands on him. One mouse less on the planet to fight against...She had tried to do the good thing, to be a good mother and save her son, no matter what. But now, it all felt pointless. She had failed in everything and betrayed everyone in her life.

She felt empty inside, had felt that a long time. And she was disgusted with herself. How could've she betrayed what she had so strongly believed in? For she had believed in the Freedom Fighters. She had believed in peace and justice. She closed her eyes and tried to numb her mind for all she could think of was the amount of pain she had caused to everyone. Yet here she was again, in the Fighters' Headquarters. They had rescued her along with the rest of the Fighters who were still found alive from the Mice Government's secret desert base. Yet she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve their forgiveness for the damages she had caused were too severe. She couldn't live with this pain inside her. She wiped her tears away again before she got up and headed out of the dining hall.

She had made up her mind. There was only one thing left to do now before she would vanish. She would give the Fighters the only thing she could offer them at this point anymore and that was her knowledge she had gained while forced to work for the Plutarkians, the rats and the traitor governments. She would give them everything she knew and maybe that will help the Fighters, if it wasn't too late already. She owed the Fighters that much. But this would be the last thing she'll ever do and she hoped it would bring something good for all the bad she had caused...

x

x

After an hour from their last stop, the trucks came to a halt again. Stoker hopped off from the second truck and went to let the soldiers crammed inside out from the back. After opening the doors to the truck he nearly got startled as this white male already hopped off the truck just when there was enough of room for him to do so.

"Ooh! Are we there yet?!" Vinnie cried enthusiastically his eyes already gleaming with anticipation without even knowing where "there" was but as he was very quick to add two plus two together and it most of the times added up, he realized as he was looking at his surroundings that they had infact parked infront of a very familiar looking building which was a...

"Yeah, we're here..." Stoker only replied, taking a step back to let the others inside the truck to hop off but was again interrupted by the white furred male.

"Ahahaha! Yeah! We're back with the Holy Rollers! So _awsome_!" Vinnie cried while admiring the big old monastery infront of him like a friend he had not seen in a long time. Well, he hadn't been inside of this _particular _building per se, but they were all alike, right? These big old wooden buildings that had some mythological happenings carved onto the wood panellings. Some medieval-stuff. Not too invigorating. But the monks themselves had always struck Vinnie as a hilarious bunch. Quiet, but hilarious. So, all in all, he was more than happy to be back with these geezers.

"They're monks, Vincent. Show some respect." Stoker corrected him but gave a look to his side as he heard a grunt and saw Rimfire hopping off the truck as well, yawning and stretching.

"Man, that was a tough ride..." The young male only concluded and Stoker huffed back.

"Yeah, I know, the desert is a bitch to drive through..."

"Nah, I meant the company..." Rimfire only glared at Vinnie's direction who flung around to face them.

"Hey, no need to thank me for making the ride more pleasurable for everyone with my excellent and vivid storytelling!"

Stoker only snickered at this for he could only imagine how there hadn't been any peace or silence inside the truck for the entire night and he slapped Rimfire on the back.

"My condolences..." The old commander then eyed for the big bunch of mice walking from the other truck as they were all gathering around him. Radius walked towards Stoker too while looking around him the same time, seemingly counting that all of his troopers were still present, like somehow there would've been a chance that some of them could have been dropped out of the moving vehicles while driving across the pitch dark desert. But every trooper was present. All 50 of them.

Stoker cleared his throat while giving this big group of ex-Army soldiers and a couple of Freedom Fighters and the few rebel rats a look.

"Okay, so...! We've comen to the place where we could get some rest and where we can wait until we can figure out how we're going to, you know, skip over to the other side of the border...What I'm gonna do now is going in with the Lieutenant here, to make sure that we're infact expected and you all can just... stand and wait, how's that?" The older commander smirked before nodding at Radius, who nodded back and they walked to the big door and carefully opened it and went inside.

"Oh, wow!" Primer gave out an excited cry as she climbed off the second truck with the assistance of her uncle while looking at the building.

"This is a real monastery?!" She got more excited as she recalled been inside of one of these religious places only once in her lifetime and that had been with her grandmother long time ago.

"Yeah..." Modo only answered and gave a yawn. He had had some sleep but not much and he could still feel his whole body aching from not having enough rest. If someone could've just pointed a bed right there and then, he would've collapsed on it and slept the whole next day through. Sadly, that was not the case and he had a feeling that they would not get any rest even in this house of peace...It's not like he could predict things but let's say he had started to see a pattern here...

"There are real monks inside and all...?!" Primer walked beside the building, looking in awe of the beautiful art work and the talented craftmanship that had been put into decorating the building. She was examining the decorations that were picturing some spiritual stuff that she did not understand as the religion did not hold such an importance in the modern Cave Mice civilization anymore but she could nonetheless spot some familiar figures pictured there that she had seen at her grandmother's house as well. As she was walking she nearly bumped into her brother who had been in the other truck during their trip here.

"You know, Fighters' last Headquarters was situated under a monastery...?" Rimfire started and Primer gave him a quizzical look.

"Yeah?" She then turned back to Modo who just leaned against the other truck, having his eye closed and arms crossed, like trying to sleep standing up, and if he would've given that option he might have even done so.

"I didn't know that! Why you didn't tell me that, Uncle Modo? That's cool!"

"Well, it was a _secret_ Headquarters for starters..." Modo replied sarcastically but then startled and opened his eye like realizing it was a rude tone to use towards his niece.

"It was a secret, honey." He corrected with a more polite tone.

"Right... Well that is cool. Ooh, were the monks also part of the resistance? Like secret agents or something?!" Primer got hyped up again.

"What? No, weirdo...!" Rimfire gave an odd look towards her twin sister, who was over a good two heads shorter than him and who's enthusiasm looked like deflating a bit while hearing his reply.

"Oh, oh well.. That would've made it extra cool..."

Suddenly the big wooden door was opened up again and Radius came outside and the tall white male walked directly to Primer.

"You okay, girl?" The twins' step father asked her.

"Yes! This is great! This is so much more exciting than being a nurse! Nurses don't ever get to do this kinda super cool stuff! Hiding from the government and the enemies!" Primer got excited again. Radius lifted his look to meet Modo's eye who only turned his somewhat unpleased look away. This was something they needed to discuss when they got the time. She was safe now but how long would she be safe with them, who knows...

"I'm well, too, thanks for asking..." Rimfire muttered next to Radius who merely shrugged his shoulders, clearly more interested in the wellbeing of Primer at the moment.

"Rimfire, you are here volunteeringly, even if countless times told not to, whereas your sister here does not have a part in any of this, she's a civilian and she is in great danger and not because she wants to..." Radius then said as Rimfire only crossed his arms, raising his brow at the ex-Lieutenant's comment.

"But I wanna be here!" Primer confronted, putting her hands to her hips, looking defiant.

Radius sighed as in not been in a mood for this again but gave Modo another look.

"I have a feeling that stubborness really runs in your family..."

Modo had to give a chuckle back. Well, he wasn't wrong either...

Radius turned back to face the big group of soldiers.

"We met the monk inside who had been in contact with the Fighters' HQ and we're indeed welcomed here. So, everyone, act with respect, we're guests here. Now, come on in." He then turned and while having his arm around Primer, guided her inside the monastery first and the rest of them followed.

"Man, this feels like the good ol' times! Bring in the horn section and the dancegirls 'cause the Fighters are back and we're ready to whip tail! This calls for the fanfares and pyro! Ahahhaah!" Vinnie outcried and playfully jumped on Modo's back but quickly landed back on his feet again, he just couldn't hide his growing enthusiasm, which was not the case with his older bro as the grey furred giant only huffed and yawned into his fist.

"Ya mean good ol' times like war, Vin?"

"Obviously!"

"You're deranged..."

"Hey, better be deranged than bored! That's what I always say...!"

"Never heard of ya sayin' that..."

"Well, that's maybe because you're just so slow, bro. Ya know ya must be quick to figure this man out!"

"Yeah, ya would need a specialist to do that..."

"Hmm, ya could be right... I'm a rare breed!" Vinnie then ruffled his chest, clearly missing out the meaning of the word.

"Ah agree, you're just not normal..." Modo nodded with a slight smile on his lips.

"Oh, thanks, bro!" Vinnie beamed.

Modo only rolled his eye while strecthing out his arms and back but winced as his fresh stitches felt like burning. He then gave a sigh while they were walking this dimly lit corridor after everyone else.

"Man, Ah miss my bike..."

"I'm sure she's okay, bro! I mean, we've seen that she can defend herself..."

"Donno... Somethin' happened to her when we fell to that tunnel... She wasn't...replyin'..." Modo talked his tone getting more and more worried and his stomach started to ache a bit when even thinking about his precious bike somewhere out there alone and possibly hurt.

"Well, maybe she just didn't wanna answer...?"

"Something's wrong with her, Ah just know it..."

"Well, after this little tour around the place, we can go back to my bike and try to locate her? See if we can get a signal?" Vinnie tried to cheer the man up but Modo only shrugged his shoulders to that, already looking defeated.

"C'mon don't be a Big Gloom! I'm sure she's alright!"

Just when Modo was to give some kind of a reply they both stopped as they had comen into this big dimly lit hall where everyone had stopped to study their surroundings. A little further away Radius was back with Stoker and they were talking to this one tan furred monk who wore a dark brown robe.

Simson and Seven entered the hall a little after everyone else as they had kept a bit of a distance while walking inside this monastery which to both of the rats was a very unfamiliar environment and they both were a bit cautious about their presence there. Also, Simson was quite slow with his movements currently due to the lack of his tail and his balance. But they stopped as well while coming to this big hall and saw the high ceiling and the candles everywhere, casting slowly dancing shadows on to the walls and the sweet smell of insence filling their nostrils, tickling. There were omnious looking statues and monks in brown robes walking around, so silently that they nearly seemed to be floating in the air. They raised their brows as a few monks walked past them, not saying a word and not even giving them a look, like this was a normal situation to them, a room full of rebels amongst them. The monks didn't have their antennae as it was accustomed to this religious group and the other monk now walking past them even had the fresh scars in the place where the antennae should protrude from the skull. And even if the rats did not have antennae themselves, they were very accustomed to the fact that the mice did have them and now the scene just gave them both the chills and not least because it brought some very upleasant imagery as in how those antennae must have been extracted.

"Man, this place gives me the creeps, chief...See the scars? This is some fucked up shit..." Seven muttered silently as to prevent the mice near them to hear it.

"Yup..." Simson only replied before turning to watch as Stoker and Radius were still talking with the monk a little further away.

"Excuse me..." Simson then cleared his throat and walked slowly to the trio. Stoker noticed him first and then nodded at him, like welcoming him to talk with the little group. He was, after all, the leader of the rebel rats and this seemed like some kind of a meeting of the leaders of all groups.

"...and this fine man here is Simson... He's leading the rats' resistance and helping us on our mission." Stoker introduced the dark brown furred rat with the black mohawk as he just reached them and gave the tan furred monk a little nod and was to extend his hand but the monk only closed his eyes and gave a little bow. The rat leader gave the other two men a little quizzical look, not really knowing how to handle the situation but gave the monk a quick and tiny bow back before clearing his throat again.

"Name's Simson." He introduced himself.

"My name is Riot." The monk answered calmly and gave a small nod again. Simson raised his brow.

"Riot? You're a monk called Riot?" He tried to keep a straight face while giving Stoker and Radius a look, like wanting to know if this information was only hilarious to him and maybe it was since both of the other males' facial expressions didn't change.

"Welcome to the Order of the Kasei Valles. I hope you'll enjoy your time under our humble roof." Riot the monk made a little bow at them again. Stoker, Radius and Simson all bowed back too, the latter two feeling slightly awkward in doing so.

"So... Riot... Throttle already told you about our...situation...?" Stoker asked carefully and the monk, keeping this ever-glowing warm smile on his face nodded again.

"Yes."

"Can I ask how do you know Throttle? I mean, how did he even know to contact you or this monastery?" The older commander wanted to know.

"Throttle is my cousin." Riot smiled back.

"Oh? Well, then... That is...convenient.." Stoker seemed surprised but continued.

"Well, you monks have helped us earlier and I've remained forever grateful for that and the same goes for the rest of my crew..."

"We're _all_ very grateful for this chance and... experience." Radius quickly added and Stoker had to bite into his tongue to prevent him laughing as the ex-Lieutenant's stiff apperance didn't really fit into this relaxed environment. Maybe this experience as the Lieutenant had put it himself will make him good, he could use some relaxation...

Riot turned to give the group of soldiers, who all looked very tired, a thoughtful and observant glance before turning back to the leaders again.

"I am sure you are all very tired after your long journey but perhaps you'd like to eat something first? We can arrange some food for you all. I'm sorry it won't be too much of a feast as we're living quite humbly in here..."

"Oh, well..." Stoker gave Radius and Simson a look but before they could answer a white blur suddenly dashed past them.

"Food?! Someone mentioned food?! Now you're talkin', brother!"

"Vinnie... What did I say about respect...? We're guests here..." Stoker hissed under his breath to this Fighter who looked totally clueless about the question.

"Well, I do respect food!"

"Clearly..." Stoker shook his head annoyed but Riot gave them all a nod.

"Please, it'll be our honour to feed the hungry."

"See? The dude here don't mind!" Vinnie also gave Stoker a cheery look.

"Thanks... I mean... We don't wanna cause any trouble...If we can only have a few hours' sleep that'll be more than enough..." Stoker started but Vinnie waved his hand at this remark.

"What? Sleep? Ha! Who's tired?! C'mon, grand pa' it's late late dinner time!"

Stoker closed his eyes and started to count to ten as he did not want to slap the white male infront of a monk. But as he opened his brown eyes again he saw the monk still smiling his warm smile and then bowing again.

"I'll show you the way to our dinner hall, the food will be served to you in a half an hour." And then Riot turned and started to walk towards another direction, followed by Radius who waved at the soldiers to start following as well. Stoker gave a deep sigh and walked after the others, soon reaching Simson who gave him a look.

"So, comrade, this is okay? We can trust these monks? I mean, I trust you. So if you say it's okay for us to stay here then I take your word for it...For us rats these places are very foreign to us..." The rebel rat talked while walking with these careful steps, his arms slightly up for some extra balance. Stoker gave him a look.

"I thought you rats also worshipped gods of some sort?"

"Sure, but we're not all weird about it..." Simson chuckled back but gave Stoker another glance as if to say he was sorry if he had offended the mice' religion but Stoker only waved his hand.

"Trust me, these monks are a lot like us..."

"As in similar to the Freedom Fighters? Because you guys are also a very strange bunch..."

"No, I mean, the monks also have a history of rebellion. Don't let the solitude of this place fool you, these guys are rebels, just like us. And what's more, as they form a religious group they can not be harrassed by the government or by the Army under the current laws we have... I mean, that's genius, why I didn't come up with that..." Stoker muttered the last words mainly to himself while Simson gave him a bit of a worried look but this was not the first time the legendary leader of the famous Freedom Fighters came across as a slightly weird individual.

x

x

A continuos stream of images ran through Aprilia's mind: colours and quick flashes of imagery that was like a broken movie and finally a sudden flash of white light. Aprilia inhaled in panic and sat up on her bed, breathing hard, like she would just have been under water for the past few minutes. She quickly looked around but she was still in her tiny room, nothing out of the ordinary. The fair blonde haired doctor closed her eyes and took many deep breaths, trying to steady her heart. She glanced at the clock on the small table near the bed. It was morning already but she knew she had been sleeping only about an hour or so.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door that startled her and she sat up.

"C-come in...!" She cleared her throat while trying too calm her nerves down. The door opened and Harley stepped in, holding a note on her hand and she had a pair of dark sunglasses on, she was clearly in a some state of a hangover. The mechanic came in and closed the door behind her quickly.

"Harley...? What's up?" Aprilia asked but kept a keen eye on the note the ginger furred female was holding and sure enough Harley soon waved the paper in her hand.

"Well, Mina just split...!"

"...what?" Aprilia asked, her mind still clouded.

"Yeah... She split, the few Fighters here hadn't seen her and the data showed that someone used the doors a few hours ago... What an idiot... " Harley muttered but still had some affection shining through her words while shaking her head.

"Well... Should we go after her?" Aprilia asked already on her feet, putting on her socks.

"No. There were strict orders for us to stay here and she knew that. It was her choice to leave the base. We can't risk all of our lives for someone's stupidity..."

Aprilia carefully studied the mechanic but then nodded towards the note.

"Did...she leave a note...?"

"Oh, yeah! Well, this is interesting actually! There seems to be coordinates to some place...and there was this little microchip attached to the note...Haven't run them through the computer just yet, we also have to make sure that the microchip doesn't have a virus in it... I mean she used to be a traitor, who knows what goes on in that crazy mind of hers... What's up with you?" Harley suddenly stopped while gazing at the shorter and more curvy female infront of her.

"Why...?" Aprilia's voice came across a bit shaky suddenly.

"Your eyes..." Harley took a step forward to examine Aprilia's eyes which now had becomen wider in panic.

"They're all red...have ya been crying?" Harley asked as Aprilia quickly found herself a hand mirror and examined her eyes and yes they were red but not from crying she knew that much.

"I don't...No, I haven't been crying..."

"Allergies...?" Harley asked again.

"No... It's this..." Aprilia started but then shook her head, deciding not to bother the mechanic with her strange phenomena she had lately been experiencing inside her head.

"Yeah, must be allergies..." She sighed.

"Well, gee, ya should take some medicine for that..." Harley told her and Aprilia only nodded back.

"Right. I'm the doctor, I should know better." She managed to get a smile on her lips. Harley observed her a bit but nodded.

"Exactly... Well, c'mon! I got a message from Throttle that Stoker and the rest of the gang had arrived to the monastery where they'll be resting and waiting until further notice... Let's call them!"

Harley grabbed Aprilia by her hand but this made a little resistance.

"Wait, I have to get dressed, I'm only wearing this big t-shirt...!"

"Are ya afraid to show ya ankles? Oh, please, if Modo's there too, I'm sure he'll appreciate ya showing off some skin, he's a guy after all...Now, c'mon!" Harley only babbled while still holding Aprilia's hand and dragging her out of her room.

x

x

x

x


	26. Chapter 26 : Lies and Inner Conflicts

_Hey..._

_So, surprise, you guys..._

_Yet another chapter in the short period of time..._

_Okay, but we all know this won't be a habit as I'll surely hit another writer's block any day now again... Plus I'd have like tons of things to do right now, so it can take some time before the next chapter... Or not, who knows :)  
_

_But mean time, I hope you'll all enjoy this next chapter! This one was very fun to write and it all just came to me very quickly and it was like this natural flow which doesn't always happen, sometimes I need to go back and re-write everything hundred times before I get it right..._

_And, oh wow, just while typing this I noticed that there are over 7000 words to this chapter, sorry about that, hehe..._

_Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading this little story of mine! Really, you guys rock!_

_Stay safe._

_SpaceFlora_

_P.S. I went back to correct the many errors in the grammar and some other errors too in the latest chapter, chapter 25, so, my apologies for those... I try to be more observant when it comes to my writing! _

_P.P.S. So, my cat jumped on the keyboards just when I had written this ready, so I hope there won't be any errors... I'll try to check the whole text one more time..._

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 26**

**Lies and Inner Conflicts  
**

"_Hey there, H!"_

A happy and releaved smile appeared on Harley's face as she heard the flirtatious soft growl escape from Stoker's mouth while his ragged features appeared on the VidCom.

"Well, hello there, Commander..." Harley's husky voice answered and now as she could really see her old friend was infact safe she was able to relax more and she leaned back on the chair infront of the VidCom.

"_And hello to you too, doc!" _Stoker smiled at Aprilia who was sitting beside Harley. The blonde female nodded back and tried to pull the long t-shirt she currently wore, over her knees, trying to be as casual as she could while doing that.

"Hi, Stoker..." Aprilia smiled back but her smile turned back to being concerned.

"Modo's safe?" She blurted out but cleared her throath a bit ashamed for there had been many people's lives in danger and not just Modo's.

"I mean, everyone's safe there..?"

Stoker only chuckled at this while nodding. He knew just how worried the doctor had been over her darling soldier.

_"Yeah, the big guy's okay, he will have more scars to show to you though but he's fine...As are everyone else, too."_

Aprilia closed her eyes in relief and gave out a sigh as a small smile started to etch the corners of her mouth.

"I'm glad to here that...Please send my love to him."

_"You can do that yourself as I can fetch him soon so you two can have a private talk... You know what I mean, it's been a couple of looong days for you two lovebirds..."_ Stoker smirked back and a blush quickly rose on Aprilia's cheeks.

"Stoke! Give the girl a break...! She's so pure and innocent..." Harley scolded the older male but clearly with good humour before she then took the note and the microchip to her hand.

"Actually, now that we know you're all okay there... I need to show you this..."

_"A piece of paper? How exciting."_ Stoker snickered and Harley rolled her eyes.

"Well, Mina left the HQ early this morning but not without leaving behind a few gifts..."

_"Mina left the HQ?"_ Stoker frowned but closed his eyes and shook his head.

_"We need to locate her before she'll bump into someone and tell about the whereabout of our base..."_

"You mean before she'll die out there in the desert due to dehydration and starvation?" Aprilia asked in-between making her words piercing but Stoker only shrugged his shoulders.

_"Hey, if she chose to leave she must've been aware of what's waiting for her out there... Throttle gave you all pretty clear instructions to stay inside. I will inform Throttle however and we'll take care of the matter."_

Aprilia shook her head in disappointment and crossed her arms, leaning back. For her it didn't matter if someone was a traitor or a former traitor or whatever. You did not leave people dying out there. Not if you could somehow prevent it. Stoker observed the fair blonde haired medic.

_"And you're not gonna go out and look for her either, doc."_

"Well, before you'll get your asses to it, it can be too late! It will take hours for the Fighters to get here!" Aprilia defended her point.

_"You stay inside, got that?"_ Stoker's voice got even more poignant.

"Fine." Aprilia only replied looking away and Stoker turned his eyes back on Harley.

_"You make sure she'll stay inside..."_

"Okey-dokey..." Harley deadpanned just rather reluctantly waiting for her turn to talk again about the note and the microchip.

"I'm just saying that she could die out there!" Aprilia raised her voice again, really not knowing why she was the only one who seemed to care.

_"Well, that is none of your concern. Right now, unfortunately we've got many things cookin' so we'll get to her when we get to her. We're not gonna risk everyone's lives for her the second time..."_ Stoker cut in.

Aprilia turned her look away, feeling pissed-off. She also didn't appreciate Stoker's tone, the way he gave her the commands, it was like she wouldn't have a say in this at all. Like her opinions, as a medical professional that she was, didn't matter even if it was a question about someone's heath and well-being.

_"If you're not believing me then we both know Modo will tell you the exact same thing, doc...Stay inside." _Stoker said but this time his voice became softer.

But that didn't help the fire to start burning inside Aprilia as she only crossed her arms tighter around her, she couldn't help it. It was in her nature to help the ones who needed the help. She had thought that the Fighters did the same... But there seemed to be exceptions. Stoker sighed but concentrated on Harley again.

_"So, about the note you're holding...?"_

"Yes." Harley seemed glad that she got the attention again.

"So, Mina had written down some coordinates and then some text, too... Let's see here... It says right below the coordinates: "They are here. Call Titania. She knows. Be safe and I'm sorry."

Harley raised her look from the paper, not impressed.

"Well, it sounds like gibberish... She also might not have been in a clear state of mind while writing this, I mean when she just took off like that after writing these down..."

_"No, no... I think there might be something to it..."_ Stoker rubbed thoughtfully his chin but then he suddenly leaned forward in his chair on the other side of the screen.

_"Listen, I just called Throttle and he'll be on his way back tothe Headquarters with the rest... Since the borders are gonna be pretty much closed by now, we need to figure something else... But he'll check those and maybe he'll make some sense to it all..."_

"But why can't you just make some sense to it all...?" Harley looked confused and Stoker only shook his head, smiling.

_"Harley. I've decided to make Throttle the leader of the resistance."_

Harley was silently staring at Stoker but then as the information sunk in, her eyes got wider.

"But... You're our leader!"

_"The resistance needs younger blood to guide them..."_

"Bullshit!" Harley raised her voice and Aprilia startled a little beside her, giving her friend an odd look.

_"Harley. That is settled already. He will take the lead from now on. And you'll be alright with the fact, yeah?"_ Stoker's voice had more strictness in it but Harley only shook her head, more like not believing what she had just been told.

"But, you're Stoker!"

_"Yes I am. But this is the decision I've made and I'd like you to honour that decision." _Stoker gave the mechanic a soft look.

Harley looked away but nodded, obidiently even if reluctantly.

_"Good. Nothing changes, H. But you can send me those coordinates anyway and I will look into it in the meantime... Nothing else to do around here, the monks haven't really invested in the fun and games in here."_ Stoker tried to joke but Harley's mood didn't change as she just suddenly got up.

"I will send you the coordinates." She only replied and left. Stoker sighed leaning against his arms but laid his eyes on Aprilia.

"So, what's up with your eyes?" He then asked curiously. Aprilia turned her look away, trying to think how to tell Stoker about everything that had been happening to her during the time they had been out there looking for Modo and Simson. But he might be the only one who could have any ideas about all the weird things she had experienced.

"I think I've been experiencing some kind of post-mindwalk symptoms, Stoker..."

_"Oh yeah?"_ The doctor had gained Stoker's attention. Aprilia nodded carefully, slipping some strands of long blonde hair behind her ear, now more calm again. She wasn't happy about his decision to just leave Mina there but...She was also a grown-up and could have a civilized conversation.

"I've been having difficulties to sleep, but when I do, I see these...flashes, these images going through my mind, these images that are just so unfamiliar to me... and when I'm awake it feels like, my head's not here, you know? Like I can't focus on anything...And then there are these lights and colours when I close my eyes and... Am I just going crazy?" Aprilia turned her worried look to the older male who had been listening to her carefully. He then straightened his back and gave a deep sigh.

_"Deimos..."_

"What...?" Aprilia's ears perked slightly.

Stoker was silent for awhile, looking away from the screen, like contemplating something.

"Stoker!" Aprilia's voice was exasperated as the tension was getting too much, she needed to know what was wrong and needed to know now! Stoker cleared his throat and turned his eyes back on her.

_"I guess...while you were able to mindwalk and come back from it, too...the symptoms you just described might infact imply that your mind, or a part of it, has stayed somewhere in the mindweb..."_

"W-what?" Aprilia had hard time to comprehend what Stoker was trying to tell her but then just shook her head.

"So, you're telling me that my mind is currently locked between the real world and the mindweb?"

_"Pretty much, yeah..."_ Stoker stated still looking thoughtful but he then sighed. Somehow his demeanour started to seem like he was... sorry? Or uneased about something. Aprilia had never seen the man sorry about anything or even second-thought his own actions. He was always sure of what he was doing and being wrong was not just how he rolled.

_"I'm sorry." _He stated.

Aprilia only blinked at this and Stoker noticed her baffled look.

_"I was there to guide you into the mindweb, it would've been my responsibility to guide you safely out as well. And the whole thing was my idea."_

"But...It can be fixed right?" Aprilia stuttered a bit. Stoker looked around him before giving her a nod.

_"I'm sure, I mean, I've heard about it..."_

"Wait, from where have you even gotten all of your information about the mindwalk in the first place? It's not from some quack, is it?!" Aprilia's voice got a bit higher.

_"Actually... It was from a monk."_ Stoker calmly observed the woman.

"A monk?" Aprilia repeated bluntly.

_"Yes. From one of the monks during the time we were just building our first Headquarters under the monastery back in the days of war..."_ Stoker concluded.

"Oh, well, thank gods for the scientific approach on the matter..." Aprilia muttered.

_"Well, the monks are pretty much the only ones on our planet who are pro-mindwalkers anymore so I'd take their approach on the matter as good as any scientific one..."_

Aprilia gave him a glare back, okay she really didn't want to go there. As a medical professional she had her own strong opinions on that matter. But she in the end decided to drop it. Maybe he was right after all. This mindwalking business was something the medical field hadn't really studied either... So, there's that.

"You think that... These monks there right now could have knowledge on how to help me?" Aprilia asked and Stoker nodded.

_"If someone has the knowledge, it'll be these guys...Don't worry, Aprilia, I'll ask around and I'll call you as soon as I know more, okay?"_

"Okay. Thanks." Aprilia's voice was only a hush.

_"Now. Do you wanna talk with Modo? You haven't seen or talked with each other in days and I'm sure you'll much rather look at his mug than mine...Even if I'm the more handsome one..."_ Stoker smirked but he had this warm and uplifting smile on his face, to show to her that everything will be okay. Aprilia nodded back, swallowing as her eyes suddenly fell on the dark sunglasses Harley had left on top of the monitor and she put them on to hide her red eyes.

"Can we... Maybe keep this as a secret between us? Just for now...I don't want him to worry about me..." Aprilia asked and Stoker nodded.

_"I actually haven't had the time to even discuss with the Big Fella' and tell him that it was thanks to you that we were able to find them both in the first place..."_

"Can we maybe tell them later...? You guys have much more important things going on there right now... It will just distract him, you know...?"

Stoker nodded back.

_"If that's your wish, doc."_

"Thanks..."

_"Okay, I will get Modo... He's currently outside with Vinnie... Just a sec, there, doc..."_

x

x

Vinnie was sitting on his bike, outside the monastery, using his two fingers to carefully turn the controller on the tracking device on his bike, trying to locate Lil'Hoss. There hadn't been any signals yet and his mind had already started to get anxious and he raised his look to wonder on the other of the two now dried-up channels that ran just under the cliff the monastery was situated on. The monastery itself was on top of the vast highlands called Sacra Mensa and Vinnie would have given even the clothes he was currently wearing if he could've just get to gun down the highlands, right now, to release even some of that adrenaline now built-up inside him after all this waiting...

Yeah, waiting, they had been doing a lot of waiting lately... Who were they anyway? The Freedom Fighters or the Freedom Waiters? Vinnie chuckled lightly to his own pun but turned his look then on the ground where Modo was sitting on the sand, leaning against the monastery's wooden wall, deep in his thoughts, playing with a strand of hay he had grabbed somewhere... His over-sized buddy had looked miserable from the second he had found out his bike was still missing. But he couldn't really blame him as the Fighters, he himself included, really loved their bikes. Like _really _loved them. Some might even say it was bordering an unhealthy love relationship. Some might. But he didn't, obviously. Because he would give his own life for his bike, and that said many others' lives as well...There just weren't too many people out there who would be considered more precious than his bike. Maybe a few, but not many. Okay, come to think of it, maybe the relationship between a mouse and the machine wasn't actually that healthy...Anyway, he wanted to cheer the big guy up and help to search for his bike so, here they were, outside, just _waiting _for some signals...Yup.

But geez! All this stillness and quietness! The wind didn't even blow. This was not good, since during peaceful times like these he could really hear his thoughts inside his head, and that rarely was a good thing. Mainly because he had found out that some of these thoughts weren't that pretty and there was this voice that just wanted to ask difficult questions and question things. Gods, the nerves of that voice... It had no business whatsoever to raise any issues... But what could he do? They were to wait here until the dust would settle down. Right. That sounded a lot like they were trying to avoid conflict and that just didn't sound right...They should be aiming for the destruction not skipping it and what's worse, _hiding_. Gods, that hurt his pride a little. Hiding was the worst. Hiding was for the cowards and the Army...Not for the studs such as himself.

Like maybe it was justified for these Army blokes now hanging around them to hide and wait and other uncool stuff...But what did that had to do with the fact that they, the Fighters couldn't raise hell?! C'mon, they could fight anyone out there! But nooo... They had to _wait_. Deimos, he was so fed up with everything and ready to just whip some major tail!

Yeah, whipping tail...Man, the time they've spent on Mars since their arrival here had been a bit of a drag to his liking, they've only managed to destroy the secret army division's headquarters out in the desert, caused some severe and minor injuries to about hundred soldiers plus who knows how many millions of gold gills in property damages and saved their comrades who had still found alive after the giant manhunt done by whoever...And that all in just under a month. A big yawn! He had spent more time eating protein bars that tasted like carboard and w_aiting! _Such a waste of potential!

He had felt nearly sick to his stomach with all the extra adrenaline in him and he desperately wanted to just take his bike and gun through the desert and start a war against, again whoever it was that was behind all this. Vinnie himself had not really troubled his mind too much in thinking who these possible fellows would be who so intensively wanted to get rid of the Freedom Fighters. Who cares if it meant he could throw in some punches and fire guns! He knew Stoker and Throttle would think about the boring details until their brains melted and it suited him just fine. He gladly was the fellow who didn't think but who then executed the whatever payback they would come to think of. And better soon than never... Because he was just itching to get his hands dirty! Oh man how he missed the smell of gunpowder and burning oil! Well, he could just lit up a fire and pour some gasoline and... Oh, wait, no, that would _again_ just upset someone. The story of his life. No appreciation against his creative side whatsoever...

Vinnie's mind lingered now towards something that he could put his running mind into and that was Charley. Man, was she like the greatest or what?! She had comen all this way to just be with him! Taken a trip from Earth to Mars for him! Okay, well, maybe also to check that Throttle and Modo were okay after their little run into the bad guys here on the red planet but still... Mainly she had comen here to be with him, he could tell. But man, talking about timing... Things had taken slightly a weird turn as Harley had also risen from the dead. He had to admit it had been nice to see her again... Well, more than nice... He had not been capable of taking his eyes off her for the next few days...Her beautiful eyes and that top body... It was just weird, Harley, alive... After all this time...This most beautiful, sexiest creature out there...NOPE! Nah-ah! Stop that train of thought! Harley was all fine and all but he had Charley now! His gorgeous Charley-girl was his number one gal now! Her soft skin, her perfectly plump red lips and her blue eyes.. NO! Green! Green eyes! They were green for gods' sake! He knew that hehe... See? This is why he rather did not think! Thinking only gets him into trouble...It was like his own mind set traps for him and that was not fair, on who's side was it anyways...?

Anyhow, let's start again, shall we? So, Charley was here and that was his priority right now and as much as he was the ladies' man he was one lady's man, so that's that. Great seeing you alive and kicking Harley but this mouse has moved on and got a new sweetheart! There's only one woman to win this heart... One female... Easy pick. No falter or hesitation there whatsoever. Yup. He was a man who knew what he wanted and took it too...Right? Of course! Now, go shoo all you stupid thoughts, go bother someone else with your wildly misplaced suggestions! This mouse is highly well-aware of his own true feelings! There's no single doubt in this macho body...!

"Ya okay?"

Vinnie got startled and looked to his side to see Modo still sitting on the ground but now staring at him a quizzical look on his eye. He still wore the torned and blood-dried camos but had ditched the vest.

"Me? I'm fine! Never been better! Just sunshine and clear skies!" Vinnie cried but there was a small falter in his voice and Modo only raised his brow.

"Just 'cause it looked like ya were havin' an aneurysm or somethin'..." Modo replied chuckling while still studying his younger bro with an observant look.

"Was just thinking..." Vinnie already answered before he could really register it, which usually was the case with his foot-in-mouth-syndrome and he quickly closed his mouth to prevent him saying more.

"Oh? Must have been that then... Ya were suddenly so quiet there Ah thought ya got a stroke..." Modo huffed with another chuckle while concentrating to fiddle with the strand of hay again.

"Ha ha... Ya should work on your material, bro, the jokes are runnin' a bit old..." Vinnie rolled his eyes and concentrated to try and find some signals on Lil'Hoss again. Modo threw the hay away, looking at the dried-up channel lingering just below the cliff. He didn't really mind the wait although he was beginning to build up a good amount of anxiety and tension himself as well, just like his younger bro clearly had as he could practically feel the white furred male vibrating next to him from all the extra adrenaline.

But he could understand him as he was anxious as well, or worried more precisely. Not only was his bike still missing but his niece was currently in this mess as well. Well, they both were, Rimfire and Primer, the two most precious ones out there, both now stuck here with these outlaws. And while this was now a safe place to be who knows what will happen already tomorrow or the day after it? The lifestyle of the Fighters had never been too predictable or safe. Everything could change in a blink of an eye.

Modo let out a sigh while still thinking about the twins. How come it seemed that his whole family was in this mess at the moment, first Rimfire, then Aprilia and Radius had shown up and now Primer... If he'll wait long enough maybe his dear ol' grey furred mommah would decide to join in the Fighters in her old days, too... Modo's look wondered on the dried-up channel below them. This really sucked. He had always wished that once they'd be back on Mars, he would get to spend more time with his family but this was not what he had meant by that...

His thoughts moved back to his mommah and a frown appeared on his face. She was starting to get old. It was not right that he couldn't be there for her, to help her with everything even if she always insisted that she didn't need help or anyone to hover around her, he knew she was getting slower and more fragile every year... Modo's heart started to ache as he now realized just how little he had seen his mommah during these years after the war had broken out. During the war there really hadn't been that much time to visit the family. Then some years later the crashlanding to the blue planet had occured... And they had been stuck there for the next three years... Well, not stuck. He could've gotten home anytime after they had discovered that Limburger had a transporter machine. But he just couldn't leave his two bros out there fighting against that fatfin themselves or let that Plutarkian scum race destroy yet another planet... And even if they had been enjoying themselves while fighting against the fishface, his homesickness had just grown with each day, week and year spent away from his family.

Even if his mommah had always been very encouraging towards what he was doing (maybe also because she had always been fighting for what she had believed in too) he could tell that she missed him. He could see that in her eyes and hear that in her voice everytime they had been talking via VidCom. And it was during these moments, when his mind was really buried into the deep waters, when he was starting to ask himself was this all worth it? Because it just seemed that nothing had changed after those years of war... Was this what he had been fighting for and why he had been away from his family all these years? If they were to lose anyway, wouldn't he rather want to spend the last remaining time with the loved ones while he still had the chance? Well, he would but in the end it came to the fact that he just couldn't. He was a soldier. A fighter. And the Freedom Fighters would fight until the end, he knew that already. Even if there would be no more hope, they would fight against the evil, to the last man and to the last breath. He liked to think that maybe his family knew all this and knew that he would come home if he just could. That all that he was doing and all that he had ever done had been for the ones he loved. To protect the ones who couldn't protect themselves. To fight for the ones who couldn't fight. But even if knowledging this all it didn't prevent him from always having these inner battles where he was questioning his decisions. The inner battles never ended.

"...you know what I'm in the mood for now?" Vinnie's high-pitched voice suddenly entered his mind and his thoughts were disrupted as he raised his look up to meet the eyes of his younger bro who didn't wait for a response but blurted out the answer himself.

"Hot dogs!"

That made Modo to chuckle despite his thougths still being in a dark place.

"We just ate."

"Yeah, so? It's not like we ate once and now we can't ever get another meal..." Vinnie muttered back but brightened up again.

"I can almost taste those greasy sausages inside the soft rolls, steaming hot, covered with relish and onions... And mustard! Man, we should get our hands to that stuff, bring gallons of that yellowy sauce back here! I tell you, that stuff is like the nectar of the gods!"

"That was some fine cookin', alright..." Modo drawled and Vinnie nodded back but then both of their heads turned as they heard someone coming out of the monastery and saw Stoker walking towards them. The old commander gave Modo a nod.

"Hey, Big Guy, your darling doctor's currently on the VidCom, thought ya would wanna say hello.."

Modo couldn't have gotten onto his feet much faster even if he wanted as he was soon by the door already but Stoker's voice stopped him on his tracks before he entered the building.

"Oh, and Modo...When you got the time... You and me need to have a little talk..."

Modo gave him a look.

"Okay. Sure." He nodded but rushed inside. Stoker heaved a sigh and walked to Vinnie.

"You okay there, punk?"

"Fine... You know me, I just _looove_ to hang around and do nothing all day..." Vinnie muttered leaning over the hood of his red racer, looking extremely bored. Even his ears were drooping and his long tail was flat against the ground, like fallen into melancholy.

"I thought so too... Well, maybe then I will go and search someone else to ask to show these Army blokes some Freedom Fighter moves..." Stoker was to turn around but two strong white palms covered with black fingerless gloves grabbed him by his shoulders from behind.

"Wait! Moves?! As in fighting?! As in physical activity?! As in "gods-help-me-there's-finally-something-to-do-around-here?!"

"Sure..." Stoker snickered and pulled himself free off the white daredevil's grip and already headed inside the monastery.

"But you were busy so..."

"No! Don't leave me hereeeeeeeee...!" Vinnie cried running after him.

x

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"Hi, there, darlin'."

Aprilia had been fiddling with the sunglasses on her hands as it had taken some time for Stoker to go fetch Modo but as soon as she heard the low baritone voice suddenly rumbling through the speakers she quickly put on the sunglasses again and raised her look. And there he was. Alive. Her love. She couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Hey, don't cry, Ah'm okay...!" Modo turned to concerned but Aprilia only shook her head, now smiling through her tears and her voice cracking slightly as she tried to speak.

"...Gods! I thought I had lost you...!"

A soft smile appeared on Modo's face as he regarded her.

"Ah told ya already, Ah'm not goin' anywhere. But Ah gotta admit it came a bit too close for my own liking as well this time but...It's all good now..." His voice was deepening as he tried to soothe her through the VidCom which was hard, he would have wanted to wrap his arms around her and whisper gentle words to her ear until he would hear her heartrate to calm down and her breathing to become stable again.

"...I just got so scared... We couldn't reach you or find you and... I'm just so glad that you're okay...I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost you..." Aprilia said, wiping her tears away behind the glasses, trying to steady her breathing, taking deep inhales. Modo's heart pounded a little faster for hearing how scared his girl had been and him not been able to be there for her. Again. This too had started to become a pattern. A very bad pattern. He sure wasn't going to win the medal for being the boyfriend of the decade.

"Ah'm okay." He only said with his deep rumble, not really knowing what else to say to let her know that he really was...okay. Aprilia nodded back and took a few deep breaths before she briefly closed her eyes although Modo couldn't see that due to her sunglasses before she gave a deep sigh.

"Okay, I'm gonna stop hyperventilating now... Gods... Sorry about that..." She rambled but Modo only huffed gently back.

"No need to be sorry about showing emotions, darlin'..." Modo smiled but decided to lead the conversation away from all the sad stuff and then nodded towards the glasses on her head.

"What's up with those? Goin' to the beach?" He asked with a light chuckle. They all could now laugh at the fact there was no water on Mars. Kind of. It was more like a sad truth than a joke really...

"Oh, these? Well, we were just...enjoying some Martian liquor last night with Harley..." Aprilia tried to make up excuses why she wanted to hide her red eyes from him but it hurt a little to lie to him like this. Well, it was a half-lie, they had been drinking with Harley but her red eyes didn't have anything to do with that. But half-lie was still a lie. But right now she thought that it was best for him to not know what had been happening to her during the time he had been absent. About mindwalking and all that came with it. Mindwalking was dangerous and he wouldn't have not allowed it for her to try that even if to find and save him. And when he would be finding out about all these symptoms she had been sufforing from ever since, he would only end up blaming himself for it all and she didn't want that. She would tell him everything when the timing was better.

"...Didn't want you to see me all eyes puffed-up and all..." She added.

"Ya know Ah wouldn't mind..." Modo replied and Aprilia could hear that there was a tiny hurt undertone underneath all that soft rumble. It had been many days now from the moment they had seen each other the last time and he would've liked to see his girl, like really see her and not all like this, hiding behind dark sunglasses, covering half of her face.

"It's not a pretty sight..." Aprilia could only say since it hurt her too much to lie.

"That can't be right, since you're the most beautiful creature in the world and nothing can change that." Modo talked back, regarding her, clearly trying to figure out if there was more to this all than she had told him.

"Anyway... You really are okay, love?" Aprilia changed the topic back to make sure that he was actually okay and not just pretending, like herself, ironically. Gods, this was awful.

"Yeah." Modo was still observing her but then let out a sigh, clearly letting things be for now.

"Ah'm fine. Trust me."

Aprilia bit her lower lip but cleared her throat.

"Dr. Shelly contacted me and told me all about your injuries..."

"Ah live." Modo only shrugged his shoulders with a smile on his face. Aprilia couldn't help but smile as well. His smile had always been contagious. He had such a beautiful smile that Aprilia had always loved, when he smiled there appeared these fine lines around his eyes, on his chiseled face and even if he would soon turn thirty, everytime he smiled it was like he was a young boy again.

"Well, I happen to know that you guys don't take your injuries very seriously..." Aprilia then replied and Modo only sat more comfortably on his seat.

"Well, Dr. Shelly-ma'am treated the injuries and she did a fine job, so you don't have to worry about them, dear..."

"Can I atleast see the right side..? Just to give me some peace of mind...?" Aprilia asked and Modo gave a sigh and leaned back on the seat, arching his back a little and bending his bionic arm behind his neck so Aprilia could see the bandage on top of the stitches on his right ribcage area and it was easily seen as he wasn't currently having anything on to cover up his torso.

"Not much to see there...Since it's all covered up with the bandage..." He drawled. Aprilia's worried look wondered on his muscled chest and parked to carefully observe the hurt ribcage area where if one looked thoroughly could be seen also bruises under the grey fur. A pang of concern flushed her face a bit pale.

"You must take care of it, change the bandage every day and clean it before that, okay?" Aprilia not as much asked but told him. She was sad that she couldn't be there to actually make sure that those things were to be done.

"Okay."

Aprilia raised her eyebrow.

"Okay as in "Yes, ma'am, I'm gonna do that"?"

Modo gathered another smile.

"Yes, ma'am."

He then leaned forward again while his face turned back to being worried.

"So, everything's good there? You've been well?"

"Aha..." Aprilia blurted quickly, nodding back. My gods, she was a terrible liar.

"Gotten any sleep?" Modo asked, frowning. Okay maybe it was all in her head but it looked like he was really suspecting something.

"Yes." The blonde female nodded firmly while scolding herself for every lie she made.

"Because you need to rest, darlin'...And take care of yourself, too and not just of everybody else, ya know..." Modo's deep baritone rumbled on.

"I know..." Aprilia answered but decided to switch the subject again, she didn't really want to talk about her life at the moment, and besides all this weird stuff that had happened to her lately, there really wasn't that much to talk about of the life under the sand. It was just really boring day-to-day life in the base.

"Listen, I heard that...Lil'Hoss is missin'...?" She asked carefully and immidiately noticed a change on his demeanour as clearly he had forgotten about that unfortunate thing for just a minute. Shit. Why did she had to go there...She knew how precious the bike was to him.

"Yeah... But we're tryin' to locate her, ya know...Maybe we'll find her..." Modo muttered absent-mindedly. Aprilia's heart dropped as it hurt her to hear the pain in his voice. See, he already had too much going on, no need to add her problems on that list...

But as it seemed that Modo's thoughts had taken the dark turn again and it was hard to take the turn back, he continued on that path.

"Primer's here too, ya know..."

"Oh?" Aprilia got surprised since this was news to her.

"Yeah... We had to take her with us as she wouldn't have been safe otherwise but...She won't be much more safe around us either so... Ah donno..." Modo only gloomily looked down, his mood changed completely.

"You'll figure out something, love...I know you do." Aprilia tried to encourage him but he only shrugged his shoulders back. The light brown furred female sunk a bit in her seat as it had not been her intention to make him miserable by bringing up some hard stuff... She should've known better. This call should've been a happy call. So, while fiddling with the hemline of her t-shirt she decided that she needed to cheer him up somehow. As she glanced up again she noticed that Modo had had his eye on the place where she had kept her hands, near her thighs and she remembered what Harley had told her when dragging her half-naked out of her room. She glanced around the hall she was in at the moment but there wasn't anyone else there. Okay, she could try and bring a smile on that handsome face again she thought as she then lifted her curvy naked legs on top of the monitor table and the tshirt was now more like a miniskirt.

"So, how do you like my new look?" She smirked carefully and Modo's ears perked a bit but a smile appeared on his lips again. Thank gods.

"Ah think it looks like you're gonna catch a cold when runnin' around in those skimpy clothes..." He murmured.

"Yeah?" Aprilia raised her eyebrow, teasingly and started to lift the hemline more up, slowly, revealing more thigh.

"It could be even skimpier..."

Modo rushed to sit upright again and glanced around whatever nook or room he was currently in and then turned his eye back on her. Seemingly he had gotten afraid that someone could get a glimpse of her naked body parts, even if only legs. It was a cute reaction really.

"Relax, Big Guy... I bet this is forbidden from the monks..." She smirked while lifting the hemline even more and it gave her some satisfaction to see that Modo was actually paying attention on her activity.

"Tryin' to cheer me up?" He then asked but his voice was a bit lower than usual. Frankly it gave her the chills, in a good way.

"Is it workin'...?" She whispered back. She could see Modo to swallow but his eye was still on her revealed soft curves before he then changed his look back on her glasses.

"Ya know, those pretty eyes of yours is all it takes to cheer me up..."

Aprilia stopped what she was doing and let out a sigh. Yup, he knew she had been lying and he knew she knew that too, now anyways. He was just too courteous to say it blatantly to her face. Aprilia scolded herself. Ofcourse he knew, they were together, they were connected and even if they wouldn't use the telepathy, even if they weren't physically even in the same room, he could sense her lying.

"I'm sorry, Modo... I'm so sorry I tried to lie to you like this...I can't lie to you, love..." Aprilia whispered, feeling suddenly ashamed that she had even tried to do so.

"Ah know ya can't, you're terrible at it..." Modo only replied but his face turned to worried again.

"What's happened?"

"Okay... Promise not to freak out, okay...?"

"Now, see that's a little unreasonable since Ah haven't even heard what has happened yet..." Modo told her while crossing his big arms across his chest.

"Promise me. You all got too much going on in there already without some added crazyness..." Aprilia pleaded while Modo was carefully listening to her before he finally scratched his neck and let out a sigh. Clearly starting to feel a bit anxious about this whole thing. Why she just couldn't say what was wrong...? Was it that bad...?

"Okay. Ah promise, Ah won't go all crazy..." Modo then said but then fell silent, to give room for her to tell it all.

Aprilia took a deep breath and took away the sunglasses and revealed her red eyes to him. Modo's ears perked as his face in an instant became worried and he shook his head in bewilderment.

"Are ya okay? What happened?!"

"So, funny story..." Aprilia cleared her throath, feeling slightly wary to how he would actually react to the knowledge that she had risked her life to try and save him. And that her mind was currently stuck between the two worlds because of her mindwalking. But the most she was afraid of was how would he react when he'd find out that it all had been Stoker's idea...

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	27. Chapter 27 : Mace's Plan

_Hello there and happy Easter!_

_So, first of all I would like to thank Vlaatjee, Margarite987re and Wolftattoo for your continuos support and feedback! It means a lot that I can sort of have a conversation in here, a dialogue rather than a monologue.. That is the reason why I'm writing this also, it's not just for me but to everyone out there who would like to read more fan fics, it is for this great community :) Thanks for the reviews and thanks for everyone out there reading this!_

_Second of all I'd like to apologize for some inconsistencies that may have occured in this story, I just read this story through and noticed a few things and corrected them so... Even if they weren't nothing too major, I still beat myself for allowing them into this story in the first place, I really would like to do the best possible job with this and even smaller things really do bug me too... So, sorry about those, folks. This only means it would be benefical also for me to write quicker so I don't forget what I've been writing myself, too... Well, I can always try._

_Okay... Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you guys like it!_

_Like always feel free to leave a comment, I love reading your thoughts about this story!_

_Stay safe out there,_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 27**

**Mace's Plan a.k.a. How To Take Down The Freedom Fighters**

Harley walked the corridors inside the Headquarters while the same time reading Mina's message over and over again. _"They are here. Call Titania. She knows. Be safe and I'm sorry."_ Right, well to her this all didn't make sense still but if Stoker thought there would be something in it then... Harley thought while her walk slightly became erratic as she nearly bumped into walls and things on her way while holding the note infront of her nose.

"Autsch!"

Harley lowered the note and saw Charley holding her elbow like it was hurting and it seemed that it really did.

"Oh, sorry..." Harley replied and was to continue her walk but something prevented her, maybe conscious. She sighed silently while looking around but placed her blue eyes back on the Earthling who only gave her glances back. This creature who suffered from a significant loss of hair still amazed her a bit. She looked so... fragile. And Mars was a tough place to live, only the strongest would survive... They all had unfortunately found that out as the mice population which had been the strongest of all races in Mars had suffered from significant man losses during the war too.

"Didn't see you there..." The ginger furred female then drawled while seemingly looking for any excuse to leave the scene. Charley sighed back, shaking her head but then nodded towards the note Harley was holding.

"Something interesting there...?"

"Yeah..." Harley only answered, looking around slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm just gonna..." She said but left Charley standing there alone.

"By all means.." The auburn haired mechanic huffed feeling irritated but headed towards the dining area where she spotted Aprilia sitting by the table, finally brushing her hair that had been neglected for too long while having a tea cup and a bowl of savva wheat porridge infront of her as a breakfast.

"Hi..." Charley smiled to the fair coloured female who in turn looked up and nodded with a kind smile. Thank the God there was still kind people left in this HQ, Charley mused while taking a seat across from her.

"Morning! Did you sleep well?" Aprilia asked while combing one particularly messy tangle.

"Does anyone in here? I start to believe that there is not even a thing called "night" in this planet... Not one that would be used for sleeping anyway..." Charley sighed and Aprilia huffed at this.

"Well, it's not nearly as bad as during the days of war... I can tell you that much. I think I was awake for the entire war..." She then stopped brushing her hair for a brief moment while contemplating this thought in her head.

"Come to think of it, I really haven't slept after the days of war either..."

Charley only smiled at this somewhat alarming realization.

"Well, that doesn't sound too healthy..."

"No..." Aprilia only drawled still deep in her thoughts.

"So... Any news from the guys?" The Earthling asked her voice a bit hopeful and she immidiately saw the wide smirk appearing on Aprilia's face.

"Oh, yes!"

The doctor then cleared her throat and became a bit gloomy all of a sudden. Charley had to keep herself from laughing at this as it reminded her of Modo who was the king of mood swings, the big guy could turn from this most good-natured and relaxed man to this dangerous destructive force in a matter of seconds...But as Aprilia's concern was spreading fast on her face Charley quickly intervened.

"Everything's alright with them?"

The light brown female gave her a glance and like suddenly realizing what kind of vibes she was sending she quickly opened her mouth.

"Yes, they're all well! Sorry, didn't mean to lead you the wrong way..."

"Well, clearly something's wrong..."

"Well...Yes...Or I don't know. Maybe not. It's just that I told Modo about my whole mindwalking experience and...about the strange phenomena that followed it..."

"What strange phenomena?" Charley frowned a bit concerned.

"Well... As I've just concluded myself, my mind got stuck between the real world and the mindweb due to the mindwalk..."

"Oh? Okay, that doesn't sound good..."

"It's not life-threating or anything..."

"Yes, but still..."

"...It's just that there are these images and lights and sounds and things that keep popping into my mind all the time..." Aprilia tried to make it short how to describe these strange things that had been happening to her.

"Are they his thoughts? Since you were walking in his mind?" Charley asked. She frankly had no idea about this business.

"Hm? Modo's? Oh, no..." Aprilia gave a small laughter shaking her head.

"No, no...If it were his mind I was trapped into I think I would be seeing a lot more thoughts about his mommah and Lil'Hoss..." Aprilia joked.

"...and of you, hu?" Charley smiled slightly. Aprilia turned her head to her and gave a shy smile before lowering her look back to her lap and the brush she was currently holding.

"Well, Lil' Hoss is missing right now so I guess my big snuggly's not gonna be able to think anything else at the moment..." Aprilia thought out loud.

Charley snickered lightly to the nickname "big snuggly" but then suddenly snapped out of it.

"Wait, Lil' Hoss' still missing?" Charley asked.

"Yes, they seem to be unable to track her down..." Aprilia drawled looking now a bit curiously towards the mechanic who now somehow looked displeased with something.

"Of course they are, they haven't been consulting the best mechanic around...!" Charley snorted but corrected herself.

"Relatively speaking ofcourse, I'm not dilusional about myself, unlike someone who has crowned himself as the king of everything..." She rambled referring to the white daredevil who liked to think he was the best in every subject.

"You know how to track Lil' Hoss?" Aprilia asked.

"Well, if the problem consist a machine, I'm sure I can come up with something..." Charley answered as it looked like she was already thinking about the problem at hand.

"Okay..." Aprilia didn't really know what to make of that. Well, she had heard that this Earthling got some serious skills when it came to the machines and technology but she haven't really witnessed her true skills just yet.

"So...What did you have in mind?" Aprilia asked carefully, not wanting to interrupt that train of thought as a scientist herself she knew that that would not help but she was still curious to know. This considered Modo's bike and Lil'Hoss was also dear to her. She wanted Modo to get his bike back, too. She wanted her soon-to-be-hubby to be happy. And if that meant that he was to be reunited with a big deadly weapon of a bike, so be it.

Charley raised her look and a smile appeared on her face.

"Want to help?"

"Yes, please! That is if you don't mind having a scientist, who's currenty a bit hazy in the brain, to tag along...?" Aprilia got excited and she quickly followed Charley who got up and they left the hall.

"Not at all and believe me, your hazy brains will beat those mushy testosterone brains of our lovely trio anyday... Maybe I will get an actually useful assistant this time..." Charley joked.

x

x

Stoker was examining this little library the monastery had and was just dusting off one particular book as he heard the door being banged closed behind him.

"What on Deimos' name were ya thinkin', coach?!" This deep baritone echoed in the room.

As Stoker glanced over his shoulder he saw a big grey giant standing there, his arms crossed and his eye shining red. If he hadn't been familiar with the man in question the sight would have been intimidating. Well, it still could be a volatile situation if treated wrongly...As the big male in question didn't look too happy. Stoker only let out a sigh and put the book back on the shelf, turning his back to Modo again.

"I take it that she told you then..." The old male only drawled.

"Yes, she told me!"

"I told you that you and I needed to talk..."

"Why would ya do that?! Mindwalking?! That shit's dangerous!" Modo didn't really pay attention on Stoker's attempt to start the conversation on his part. The brown furred male only glanced at Modo before taking another book from the shelf which only built up Modo's anger as it seemed that his mentor wasn't even paying attention to him.

"I know it's dangerous. Well, it can be dangerous if done wrong..." Stoker answered still remaining calm.

"If done wrong? Her mind's messed up because of your little experiment! Now how would ya describe that as being successful?!"

"Well, she indeed managed to mindwalk and thanks to her, you and Simson are still alive at the moment...So, in that sense, it was a success..."

"Ah don't care! She's not in this! She's a civilian! Ah don't want her to get hurt while attempting to save me! That's not her job!" Modo roared back.

Stoker glanced again to his protege. He knew why he was upset and he also knew that he must have been really scared for her after hearing what had happened. Modo had always been fiercely protective towards the women and children and even a thought alone that he couldn't protect them was devastating to the big guy. Stoker knew all that. But sometimes Modo didn't think very clearly as his protectiveness could come between the facts and the common sense.

"She's a civilian?" Stoker then repeated and Modo's eye stopped blinking as he was a bit confused where Stoker was going with that statement. The older male then put the book back on the shelf and turned to face Modo. He had been standing few metres away from the tall fighter merely as a precaution but now the older male took a step forward.

"She is not a civilian. During the war she served as a medic for us Fighters, she served even as a field medic, which you didn't improve but there you go, we can't control our prettier halves now can we... But she chose her side. She was...well, she is part of us. She has helped us along the way, helped us with our goals and our cause. And you better believe that if the government keeps a track on us and has a black list dedicated just for us, then they'll surely have her in that list, too. She is part of us, whether you like it or not."

Modo closed his eye and shook his head pissed off.

"That's not what this is about...!"

"Just clearing out facts so we're on the same page here, Big Fella'... She might not be a Fighter but she is a rebel and that makes her one of us."

Modo studied Stoker his arms crossed, his intensive look directed to the old male.

"This is not about the Fighters or the war! This is solely about you makin' her go through somethin' as dangerous as mindwalkin'!" Modo raised his voice again.

"It is about the war! It always is about the war!" Stoker suddenly raised his voice too and there was a slight falter on Modo's behaviour if inspected carefully. Stoker took a step forward again.

"I wanted one of my best soldiers back in the game so we can continue our fight. So, savin' your ass was just one of the smaller plot twists in this strenuous fight against the evil!"

"Still, you shouldn't have made her go through that! And if ya were there to guide her ya should've atleast guided her safely back from the mindweb! It's your fault her mind's still trapped there!"

"I know."

"You..know? Whatta ya mean ya know?!"

"I know. That shit's on me. Just like ya said."

It was clear that Modo hadn't been expecting this kind of a response as he now fell silent. Stoker scratched the back of his neck.

"Look. I understand you. She's your girl and you want to protect her from the big bad world... I get it. Unfortunately she is also her own person and she has the right to make her own decisions and she chose to help you, to try the mindwalk... If anything you should be proud of her courage to try and do that. And it is true that it was my idea... But she agreed to do that and she was not forced in any way. For your information, her mindwalking was quite impressive, she is a true mindwalker. That gal's got a gift. It's a gift that can cause a lot of good if trained well..."

"... wait...If trained well? Ya mean if she would keep practising that? Ah just told ya that that's extremely dangerous!"

"Yes. I know. But what if she wants to? You know she's a doctor, she has dedicated her whole life on helping others. I wouldn't be surprised if she realized one day that she could actually do a lot of good with that gift."

Modo still held his arms crossed, his weight on the other foot, observing this shorter old male infront of him. He then shook his head and let out a deep sigh. Like just now releasing all the worry and anxiety inside of him that he had gathered during the call with Aprilia.

"I know..." Stoker patted Modo on his flesh arm. Modo only shook his head, looking gloomy.

"It's all my fault..."

"Now, see, that's exactly what she was afraid of, that you'll be blaming yourself for all this...That's why she was so hesitant to tell you..."

"Well, how could Ah not blame myself? It is my fault since if Ah hadn't gone missin'..."

"Okay, well, if we go down that road then I did sent you out there with Simson and his crew without any back-up from our brothers..."

"Well, okay, but if Ah hadn't been such a loose cannon towards the rats and had actually behaved then ya wouldn't have had the need to try and teach me a lesson..." Modo mumbled back.

"And did it work?" Stoker asked.

"What did?"

"Did I teach you a lesson? You and Simson are now best buddies? You got over your enourmous racist problem with the rats?"

"Get bent..." Modo huffed but had to smile and he scratched his neck.

"Yeah, it did work...He's alright..."

"See? I'm not just a crazy old man with crazy plans..." Stoker smiled approvingly.

"Fair enough, your plan worked...Now you're just a crazy old man..." Modo drawled back.

Stoker chuckled but Modo continued.

"But Ah wouldn't go that far as to say all the rats are great..."

"Ofcourse... But it worked as a teaching for you, lil' grasshopper, that every group has its' bad apples... You don't go and judge a book by its' cover, now do you...? Your mommah taught you better, right?"

"Okay no need to bring my mommah into this..." Modo mumbled but he seemed to have relaxed a bit and Stoker gave him an encouraging smile and a tap on his back.

"There isn't any other soul in this entire planet than you that I would most gladly tell that this all is over...So you could just retire from this guerilla soldier business to some farm and raise eleven children with Aprilia..."

"Farm?" Modo repeated slightly humoured while lifting his brow.

"So ya clung to that and not to the whole eleven kids, hu?" Stoker smirked and Modo only shrugged his shoulders with a hint of smile.

"...but, as I was saying... During the war, during the difficult times, people unfortunately have to endure difficult stuff. That's not fair but sometimes people have a choice to decide themselves whether they want to participate or not, whether they want to make a difference or not. And you're lucky to have such a stand-up gal next to you such as Aprilia. She really is a great woman. I said that she's not a Fighter...But she is a fighter." Stoker concluded and Modo listened to this carefully and then just lowered his look and nodded back.

"That she is..." His low baritone stated. Modo then turned his eye back to this old-timer, the man he had looked up most of his life. Ever since his father had died when he had been just a kid, he hadn't had any male figure to look up to when growing up, not that he really had longed for one either but then he had met the Fighters and Stoker and Stoker had taken them under his wings, these young rascals who hadn't known anything really...He had taught them everything they knew. Well, nearly everything. Modo liked to think that as much as his grey furred mommah had raised him, so had Stoker too. In a way he had becomen a father-figure to them all. Modo cleared his throat.

"Ah asked Aprilia to marry me..."

Stoker glanced at this tall burly male next to him.

"You're getting married?"

"Well, not right now, obviously, there are more urgent things at hand than me gettin' hitched...Mainly the entire future of this planet and our people..." Modo mumbled back. He then gave Stoker a look back.

"Ah actually haven't told anyone else except mommah...the guys don't know it yet, Throttle or Vinnie or anyone else..."

"I'm the first one you told? After your mother? Hm, gotta say I'm a bit touched..." Stoker seemed genuily surprised.

"Well, okay, Ah told Simson already..." Modo then gave a bit of a sheepish look.

"You told a rat first? Okay, now I'm hurt..." Stoker chuckled.

"Hey, what happened to the don't judge a book by it's cover stuff?" Modo joked back but continued.

"Well, it was because of all that near death experience, guess that's true that death does bring people together... ya know, when it's not tearin' everything apart, that is..."

Stoker nodded with a smile but then his ever-observant look fell on the big male again.

"I'm sorry I put Aprilia in that situation. You know I would never intentionally try to hurt her. She's family."

"Ah know. Ah'm sorry too...for...breakin' the "silence" code in the library...which leads me to the next question why are you here?" Modo looked around them like just now realizing where they were.

"People come to read in the libraries, you should try to pick up a book sometimes, too, try and cultivate that mind a bit..." Stoker joked.

"Nah, Ah get all my literature in the comics-form..." Modo snorted back. Stoker chuckled.

"Figured that much... Well, to the current dilemma we are facing... I'm actually trying to find out about these strange symptoms Aprilia's been suffering from..."

"Oh...Findin' anythin'...?" Modo's look immidiately became more interested like realizing that the books might actually carry some real knowledge in them.

"Haven't found anythin' yet... but just like I already told Aprilia, I bet these monks have the answer... I'll ask Riot when I find him if he knows someone amongst the brothers in here who knows about the mindwalking business..."

Modo nodded back a bit absent-mindedly and Stoker noticed this and he lowered his voice a bit.

"Hey, Modo... We'll find out how to help her. I will make sure we find the solution for it."

"Promise?" Modo asked, his ears drooping a bit.

"Yeah, I promise, on biker's honour." Stoker nodded back.

x

x

As the big garage doors opened inside the cave and Throttle along with the rest of Fighters and rebel rats rolled inside the HQ with their bikes. Throttle took off his helmet and got off the bike. The mission to find the "holes" in the border patrol had not been a succesful one. He walked with quick stride out of the garage, scratching his neck absent-mindedly and went straight into the kitchen area upstairs and grabbed a protein bar. He opened the wrapper and started to eat the bar, still deep in his thoughts as someone entered the kitchen as well and he turned around still munching his snack.

"Tryin' to treat the depressive feeling of failure with food?" Harley asked dryly before then shoving the tan furred fighter a note she had been carrying around with her the whole morning. Throttle only glanced at the note, frowning.

"_They are here. Call Titania. She knows. Be safe and I'm sorry."_ Throttle read the note aloud and then gave Harley a look.

"We're not in the speaking terms right now?" He asked a bit humoured.

"It's not from me...Mina wrote that, before she split..." Harley muttered.

"Yeah, heard about that..." Throttle only nodded and then took a seat next to the table. Harley circled the table and sat down infront of him, setting her eyes on this tall fighter. Throttle read the note again but shifted his look behind his green specs to Harley who only observed him back.

"So...You're our new leader, then." Harley then opened the conversation. Throttle took a more comfortable position but nodded.

"Well, there haven't been any official ceremonies for that or anything yet..."

"We're a bunch of rebels hiding out in the desert, you really think we would have anything official around here?" Harley asked, deliberately being sarcastic.

"Guess not." Throttle tasted the last bits of protein bar in his mouth, studying the ginger furred female infront of him. He then nodded at her.

"Ya've got a problem with me taking over?"

"Why?"

"Bacause it looks like you're about to punch me."

Harley let out a sigh and hunched slightly in her place, tapping the table with her fingers.

"No. It's just... He's Stoker! He can't step aside!"

"I know. But, this was his decision, it's not like I'm making a coup here...And believe me I would never do that to Stoker. I would follow him to my early grave." Throttle talked his eyes keenly on the woman sitting across to him even if Harley couldn't see that. Harley only drew on the table imaginative figures.

"I know. It's just a lot to take in I guess..." Her raspy voice drawled.

"It sure is. Even for me." Throttle concluded.

"So...friends?" The male gave a small smirk and held out a hand and Harley looked at the offered hand but took it.

"Bros." Harley nodded with a slight smile but quickly got up.

"So. As you're the boss man now, I guess you have to start figuring out what do we do about that note, and about the runaway girl, and the guys still on the other side of the border...Oh, and your soldier girl's still in the hands of the bad guys..."

"...that's all...?" Throttle chuckled.

"No... You also need to make a plan to save us all. And this planet. You better get to it." Harley said and left him sitting there looking after the mechanic. Throttle dragged his palms over his face and then let out a sigh. He looked at the empty wrapper on the table but got up.

"Well, ya heard the lady, ya better get to it, Throttle..."

x

x

Mace was leaning against his bike while waiting and he would have liked to point out to the ones who kept him waiting that he despised that. These people...or creatures more like it, called themselves as businessmen, well, in his books, business required some punctuality and these guys lacked that but as he had learned out the Plutarkians didn't care less about what others thought about them. A rather good quality to have as they were acting like the galaxy's own douche bags, just destroying and conquering everything in sight, no matter how much havoc they caused along the way or how many alien races they wiped out.

But while making him wait, they would give more time for the Fighters try and save their tails and their home planet to which they still were so adorably attached to. Why did they even bother? Couldn't they see that it was all lost anyways? They could try and build their cities again for all he cared for but that would not bring the life back on Mars. The Plutarkians had made sure of that. As their alleys the rats had managed to bargain a portion of the water to be stored to the underground tunnels but that would not be enough to safe the entire planet not to mention the entire population of Mars.

The grey furred rat's ears perked as he heard noises and as he glanced towards this abandon warehouse he suddenly saw light inside of it. He stopped leaning to his bike and walked towards the building and opened the door by punching the code on the side of it. As he got inside he strode straight towards this room where he had previously been in and he wouldn't have needed to see the light from the transporter machine to know that the Plutarkians were here, the reek in the air would be a sign sufficient enough for him to know.

As he walked into this room where a light was flickering slightly on the ceiling he was surprised to find out that there was only the Plutarkian officer present that had been there the last time as well. Well, he had a few bodyguards with him who were standing a little further away from this nasty looking officer with his tiny piercing pig eyes and the large mouth with a few pointy teeth sticking out. Mace couldn't tell whether the man was not pleased to be here or was that look just his natural displeased frown that had been there also the last time but if he was to bet he would put all his money on the latter. Mace sat down across the table and only nodded towards the empty seats.

"Your High-Reeking Fishfriend couldn't make it tonight?"

"He has as you can imagine far more important things to do than chatting meaningless things with a inferior race from yet another destroyed planet..." The officer stated.

"I can imagine yes..." Mace only replied dryly.

"So, why did you contact us and made me do this unpleasant trip back here to this hideously rodent-infested planet?" The grumpy officer asked and Mace took a more comfortable position on his seat.

"I need more time."

"Ha! No." The officer, if it was possible to have even a remote resemblance of a smile, had one right now etched on his wide mouth.

"Please?" Mace tried even if being sarcastic by it but the officer remained silently staring at him.

"Well, worth to try..." The grey rat sighed, feeling irritated.

"We already gave you a month, that is plenty." The officer then grunted.

"Well, since I'm the one managing this operation I can say that it is not." Mace answered.

"It's all you'll get."

"Look, you want to catch these rebels or not?"

"I could ask you the same... You've managed to take down only half of them."

"Well, that's still a way higher percentage of dead rebels than you ever got to witness during the entire war with your useless plans and people..." Mace talked under his breath but not that silently as to prevent the officer from hearing, and he had intended it that way, too. Clearly in some time along the way, he had managed to lose some of his sense of self-preservation as well. Or maybe he knew that he still was way too valuable for these reekfaces to have so he knew he could get away with some light joking.

"What happened to this ingenious plan of your's you told us about last time?" The officer asked.

"Well, it didn't quite work out..." Mace cleared his throat.

"I take it that you'll have a new plan then?" The ugly Plutarkian asked again.

"I do as a matter of fact have a new plan, thanks for asking. And this time it can't go wrong." Mace rocked his other leg on top of the other one. The nasty looking creature infront of him drew something on the table, like counting something or making a memo with plain friction between his green finger tips and the table. He then looked up and pondered a moment.

"What is this new plan?"

"Well, as it has comen painfully obvious these guys are prepared and always dodging the bullets so... My plan is to not run after them anymore..."

"This does not sound too good of plan so far..."

"...but to make them run after me." Mace stopped rocking his leg and just stared at the Plutarkian who only looked a bit dumbfounded.

"Why would they be running after you?"

"Because I would be holding something they value, something they love and treasure the most. I would be holding the reason for their entire existance in the first place." Mace lowered his voice.

"Which is?" The officer asked looking only slightly interested.

"Their citizens." Mace answered with a nod.

"You want to kill all the mice?!" The officer suddenly got excited again as he leaned a bit forward, over the table, his small eyes gleaming with joy.

"No! If I killed them I wouldn't have anything for a leverage, you moron...!" Mace answered sharply and the newly found excitement the Plutarkian had had a moment ago deflated infront of the rat's eyes like a balloon pinned with a needle.

"Oh... That's too bad. I have been thinking that it would be just easier to just kill everyone with an A-bomb..."

"But then you wouldn't have the Martians as your future slaves, like you have intended all along... Right?" Mace was swinging his leg again on top of the other.

"Right..." The officer nodded, clearly detecting the error in his thinking as well but he cleared his throat.

"Very well. You'll have two extra weeks to take care of this matter, so all in all, you'll have over five weeks still left and I'd advice you to make that time count as it is all you'll be getting, after that, if you haven't dealt with the problem, we'll come back here again but this time we'll catch you and we'll bring you back to Plutark and kill your son while you're watching and after that we'll kill you. And then the entire population of Mars. The High-Chairman would like to have this army of slaves to do all the hard work back in Plutark but time is money and if these Fighters will make things difficult, we'll just wipe out the entire population. There will be more races to turn into slaves in this galaxy, and more profitable nations too...Nations that won't be this stubborn to die..."

Mace only listened to this ramble while sitting, not letting any emotions out.

"So, you better make this plan of your's to work." The officer only pointed at the rat.

"It will work but I only need help from the Mouse Government and their Army. I need them to tighten their border patrol and send even more troops out there...It'll be easily arranged if you just give me more money so I can grease these greedy bastards' palms...They think that I'm only helping to keep out the resistance they despise as well, as they think it's my only agenda to catch these renegades... Anyway, I need the government to keep their Army occupied with their task at the border so I can get inside the Mouse Territory with my rat troopers, using our tunnel systems, we'll take down their easily manipulated government and start running things, the Mouse Army will have no other choice than to obey once we've got their entire government as hostages...And they will obey too once they hear that the only reason to this coup is to catch the Fighters. We'll make them to turn Brimstone City into Brimstone Maximum Security Jail and the only way for the Fighters to free their beloved people would be if they turned themselves in. Any attempt to try and be clever will cost their people's lives. And they will turn themselves in because they like to play the heroes, they will gladly give their own lives for the lives of their people. And after they surrender, we'll take them down and after there are no more Freedom Fighters, you'll have no problem to do whatever you please for these people..."

The Plutarkian officer listened very carefully and nodded.

"That's an evil plan, Mr. Mace...I like it."

"I take that as a great compliment coming from someone like you..." Mace replied but then got up.

"So, you'll manage to get me more money?"

"Yes, isn't it lovely how money brings people together and makes them forget about their principles...?" The Plutarkian officer smiled crudely.

"Yes, lovely." Mace only blurted as he got up and left.

x

x

x

x


	28. Chapter 28 : The Two Gods

_Hello there!_

_So, first of all, thanks to ALL of you who have read and reviewed this story! Thank you thank you thank you!_

_So, I don't want to babble too much, I'm actually quite pleased with this chapter how it turned out...Let's hope you all enjoy it too!_

_So, here's chapter 28, please enjoy and feel free to comment!_

_Peace!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 28**

**The Two Gods  
**

The Sun was already up in the sky, circling the red planet but it was smaller than when regarding from Earth as it was more further away from Mars and for that reason the morning air feeled chillier than it would have when been on Earth. Vinnie stepped out of the monastery and inhaled the fresh early noon air into his lungs and exhaled again, releasing vapor to rise up into the clear sky. He wiped his sweatty face to a towel before flinging it around his neck. He stretched slightly as he walked away from the monastery and let out a happy sigh. Stoker had told him to work with Radius' soldiers this morning, to show them some Fighter moves and he had happily done that as it had allowed him to release some of that adrenaline that had been built-up inside of him. Sure he may have hurt some of the soldiers while showing these hand-on-hand combat moves but hey, they got the point. He even had caused one soldier to limp after their battle practises but he'll live. Noone said it would be easy to be this cool, it took practise. Well, to the others, he might add, as for himself he was born cool. And for these Army boys and girls it would take a lot of practice to rise up to this league of excellence, he could tell. Man, whoever had taught these guys had done really crappy job... If these soldiers had thought that they were the hopes of Mars then the entire planet was in a big trouble Vinnie mused while walking over to his dear red racer... Well, luckily Mars had the Freedom Fighters. Luckily, Mars had him.

His bike started to beep and he gave it a look before flinging his other leg easily over to the other side of the bike and once seated he pressed the button.

"Rise and shine, citizen!" Vinnie cheered still clueless who was at the other end of the call.

_"So, there radio connection still works, hu?... Did you die?"_

"Doll? Wait, what? No...?" Vinnie stumbled with his words while hearing Charley's voice coming from the small speaker.

"_Since that's the only acceptable reason for you to NOT inform me that you were okay, antenna-head!"_

"Well, he he, I can inform you right now, sweetheart?"

"_Yeah, right, well I already was filled in with this piece of information from the others... You know that I was scared for you, you furbrain!"_

"Scared for me? Aww..."

"_That's not cute! I was scared that something had happened to you guys!"_

"Why would anything happen to us? We're the champs, the greatest! Remember?"

"_Yeah, I remember that I should plant a damn tracker on your head to know where you are at any given moment since it's not apparently cool or heroic to stay in touch with your girlf..." _Charley lectured him but suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence.

Vinnie's ears twitched a little and he suddenly became nervous all of a sudden. Why was he nervous? Damn, chicks mess up even with the greatest minds...He could hear Charley to let out a sigh on the other end.

"_Anyway...I don't know... Things has just been so...weird for me lately... Just wanted to hear your voice...For some reason...Even though I start to regret it already..."_

Vinnie's ears drooped a little but perked up again as his brains simply functioned that way, he was way too easily distracted to get caught up with one emotion.

"Listen, sweetheart, I..."

The silence, his own silence, was a bit too long for his own liking and he scratched the back of his head. Now, what was he supposed to answer to that? His brains seemed empty all of a sudden and that was weird, usually there was a whole orchestration of things going on in there.

"_Yes...?" _Charley's voice echoed in the silence of this peaceful scenery that surrounded Vinnie. Only occasionally there was a whistling and rumbling sounds of the wind blowing and sweeping the barren sand plains, making the smallest particles to whirl in the air.

Vinnie looked at the scenery around him, the beautiful yet melancholic view. What on Deimos' name was he doing? What was he thinking? He didn't have a clue at this point and that was one reason why he was nervous. He just wasn't used to feel doubt, well he liked to think that way atleast, mainly because he usually didn't bother to stop and think but now he had done that and he started to regret it already... Well, you have to say something to her, cowboy, c'mon, open that mouth of yours already, before this silence is going to drown you! Vinnie sighed and bowed his head a little.

"Oh, nothing... It's just nice to hear your voice, doll..." Vinnie started and even if he tried to be his cheery self, there was an undertone that even the radiowaves couldn't hide and the other end of the call fell silent for a bief moment.

"_It's nice to hear your voice, as well, Vinnie... I kinda miss having my best friend around..."_

Vinnie's heart made an odd flip and he let out another sigh closing his eyes and then slid his palm across his face. But when he was to speak again he noticed that the light in the radio on his bike had gone dark. The call had ended. Vinnie closed his eyes again feeling irritated, mainly concerning his own actions but he quickly hunched down to grab a big stone to his hand next to his bike and threw that into the canyon underneath the monastery but with such a determination and angst that he only ended up hurting his shoulder while at it and he made a slight cry of pain. To mask this unfortunate way his attempt to hide his pains had taken he only placed his hands on the handlebars of his bike, grasping them so hard his knuckles turned to white, well whiter, ready to hit the road. Already pushing all the thoughts to the back of his mind.

"C'mon, Sweetheart! We still haven't jammed through the Kasei Valles!"

The red racer beeped a little worried but Vinnie grunted back.

"Not you too! I'm perfectly fine! Or I will be once I can feel the cool desert wind in my fur again and let this ground get its' taste of the great VanWham!"

And he sped off, leaving only a sand dust cloud after him.

x

x

Throttle tapped a pen against the control panel while looking at the data that rolled on the screen of this one computer. Every once and awhile he came across some information he would write down to a piece of paper before he then leaned back on his seat again to observe the monitor.

"Using the pen and paper? How very oldschool..." He heard a snicker behind him and as he glanced over his shoulder he saw Charley leaning against the wall near him. Throttle gave a chuckle.

"Well, sometimes I like to do things in a more simple way..."

"Well, I've found out myself that sometimes the oldschool way is the more reliable way, too..." Charley said as she then walked over and sat down on the seat next to the tan furred male and as she sat down she let out a sigh that somehow sounded a bit troubled and Throttle's sensitive hearing picked that up. He frowned and gave her a look.

"Everything okay, Charley-girl?"

Charley gave him a quick smile but turned it away and let out a bit forced chuckle.

"Fine and dandy..."

Throttle observed this woman next to him awhile. His friend, his ally, his family. It still amazed him that she had infact comen here, to Mars. She had taken the intergalactic trip to be here with them and left everything behind her. Suddenly he felt guilty. He had no idea what she had been up to here for the past few weeks or what has been going on in that one of the most brilliant minds he had ever known. He had no idea. He had been too busy with other stuff. They all had been too busy... And he felt a pang of guilt suddenly go through him.

"You know, Charley that if there's ever anything you wish to talk about, I'm here...You know that, right?" Throttle then opened his mouth and kept his raspy voice low.

"Yes, I know..." Charley answered and gave a small smile to him but turned her look away as she just leaned more comfortably on her seat before letting out a small but slightly exasperated sigh.

"God, what a mess..." She then mumbled and despite been worried about her Throttle had to give a small huff at this and he nodded, too.

"Yeah... It is..." He said knowing that they were maybe referring to different things but it didn't matter. He then gave her another glance and decided to maybe try and get deeper into what was eating her.

"So... Folks treating you good here? You've got accustomed to the life in the Headquarters?"

"Yes, well it sure is a lot to take in, I guess...I've been just wandering around the base and marvelling every curious little thing, I guess it just slowly starts to sink in me that I am infact living now in an entirely different planet with an entire different culture and habits...Like the fact that there's not running water in here. And for your information, your sonic showers are the most bizarre thing I've ever comen across to...And I've met aliens." Charley chuckled while absent-mindedly playing with a string of auburn hair with her slender fingers. Well, not everyone had treated her so nicely but she thought that it was maybe better to not tell Throttle about the issues she had had now with Harley. Her macho males adored the Martian mechanic and while still been on Earth they had shared numerous memories of her and she had seen how happy and in awe they had been after finding out their ginger furred feisty female comrade was infact okay and what's more important: alive. So, she decided to keep it as a secret from the guys just for now. She didn't even know was she just imagining everything in her head... Maybe Harley was just this straightforward woman without a filter, saying things that popped into her head and maybe she didn't really mean all those things she has said, she had even told her that to be the case when the Martian had found her outside the HQ just after she had tried to flee not so long ago, but that also was something that Charley decided to keep to herself, it was only Harley and Aprilia who knew about that...Maybe these Fighters who had lived through years of war were all just more or less unstable mice who just portrayed that in a different ways... In her head she was also feeling that maybe as she had just barged in here all of a sudden, she couldn't just complain about things, these folks had taken her in and shared their small food and water ratios with her. Maybe what she needed to do was just to be out of Harley's radar for awhile, maybe things will calm down...Maybe. So, she decided to switch the focus off her and to this tan furred male sitting next to her.

"So...I've been meaning to ask you all these weeks but things have been hectic around here so... How are you holding up?"

Throttle gave her a quick glance but then changed it back to the monitor.

"Well... I'm okay." Throttle only answered not entirely comfortable that the attention was now on him. He was a leader-type and usually worried about everyone else and he was not that used to reflect on his own well-being in the midst of everything. That didn't matter how he was holding up as he had no choice than to continue to try to do the best he could, he had no choice but to hold up.

Charley only observed his behaviour but he couldn't fool her, they had been too close for the past three years to him to be able to do that. She knew that he didn't like to dwell on his own personal stuff as in his way of seeing things, it was all about the bigger picture, he couldn't let the personal stuff to interfiere his thinking since he needed his mind to be clear in order for it to work propably. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't have a lot of personal carriage with him, it didn't mean that he hadn't been affected by the losses and all the shit that has been happening...He just more likely was to push all that aside for the greater good and it made Charley sad but also worried. There could come a time when this man could possibly just crack under everything. There just wasn't that much of freedom for the leaders as there was for the soldiers.. The leader took a great responsibility for everyone else on the expense of his own personal troubles.

"And Carbine?" Charley then asked carefully and immidiately saw a tiny change in his behaviour.

"Yes, well, we know where they keep her and we know the court date already... We just have to get her out from that damn cell before she'll be facing any charges..."

"No...I mean, how do you feel about the fact that she's...there?" Charley knew she was pushing a bit but she didn't care. Throttle was her friend and even if he would be reluctant to talk about his feelings, it did him good to have someone atleast ask him how he was holding up every now and then, to atleast give the chance if he ever wanted to talk about the things troubling his mind.

Throttle fell silent as he was staring at the monitor screen infront of him. He then bowed his head and played with the pen he was holding.

"Well..." He only started but didn't seem to know how to start this conversation.

"You must be worried about her..." Charley nearly whispered, not wanting to scare the male.

Throttle still contemplated while fiddling the pen but then seemed to snap out of it as he took a better position on his seat.

"I am. But worrying doesn't bring her back safely... I need to come up some kinda plan to get her out..." He then cleared his throat and Charley nodded at this. Back been the leader again. Throttle then glanced at her briefly before opening his mouth again.

"I hope that you know that we're all very grateful and above all, touched, by the simple fact that you chose to come here, to come to Mars. It's not just Vinnie who cares for you, Charley-girl. Me and Big fella' are here for you if you ever need anything. And I'm sorry if we've been too occupied for the past few weeks..." Throttle stopped to think about something for a brief moment before he continued.

"...We haven't been that good of bros to you these past few weeks, have we?" The male let out a sigh.

Charley turned her eyes on him and gathered a small and warm smile to her lips.

"That's okay... I understand."

"I mean it, Charley-girl, if there's anything you need, just ask." Throttle said, with more weight in his words.

Charley only nodded back but suddenly lifted her eyes to give him a look.

"I could use an access to the Mars' satellite systems?"

Throttle only raised his eyebrow at this rather odd request. Well, maybe not odd, he knew this gal and her preferences... But right now he didn't have a clue why she would need the access to the satellite systems.

"Oh? I see what I can do..."

"Thanks."

"Care to share why you need the access?"

"Well, I thought to help you guys to find Lil'Hoss, not that anyone asked me to do that but I guess everyone of you three furbrains just forgot what a genius I was with the machines..."

Throttle suddenly seemed a bit flustered.

"Oh, sorry about that...We didn't mean to..."

"No worries, I just said I get it, you've got shitloads of things going on! But it's time that I'm contributing as well, I can't just be in the way, you're my bros, my family and you helped to save my planet. It's my time to help you guys save your's. And I will start by getting Modo his ride back." Charley smiled and Throttle smiled back.

"Thanks, Charley-girl. You know, Vinnie once said that Big Fella's bionic arm was our secret weapon... But I think that's you." Throttle talked his raspy voice suddenly filled with affection and Charley had no choice but to turn red for she had not expected that kind of a compliment. She then looked away and nodded before she then suddenly got up and tapped Throttle on the back.

"Okay, well, I guess we need to roll our sleeves then, hu? And get to it... Lemme know when you've gotten that access for me..."

"We'll do..." Throttle chuckled as he noticed how flustered the mechanic was before she quickly found her way out of the room.

x

x

The candles were flickering all around the big otherwise dark hall. The sweet slightly spicy smell of an incense was lingering in the air, filling up the whole room. Then a deep sound of a gong was released into the air and while echoing against the walls, the soundwaves travelled through the monastery, into each room and nook, and finally into the sleeping quarters where most of the outlaws were now sleeping, using the monks' beds.

Modo woke up to this deep hollow sound of the gong with a startle and looked around him in the room that bathed in the warm light. It had been a morning already when the rebels and most of the soldiers had headed to finally get some sleep, as it had been a long time since they had gotten any decent rest. So, it didn't matter if the Sun was already up, most of these outlaws were now snoring inside these couple of big dormitories filled with simple wooden beds, side by side.

Modo reclined there on his side, leaning slightly to his bionic arm, still a bit foggy in the brain, listening to the chaotic snoring all around him, letting his eye wander in the room. The snoring sound had been very familiar, but first it had taken him a few seconds to remember where he actually was before his eyes had caught the old tapestry hanging on the wall, depicting an ancient religious ritual. Ah, yes, Kasei Valles...The escape, the monastery, the monks, it all now came back to him.

Slowly he sat up, flinging his feet to touch the floor and he could feel the warm wood floor underneath his bare feet. He made a grunt as his side hurt still, well it had not been that many hours from his surgery and he carefully placed his flesh fingers to feel this hurt area on his right ribcage. The bandage was feeling a bit wet and in this warm daylight he could see it had turned red from blood but luckily the blood had all stayed on the bandage. He then remembered that Aprilia had instructed him, no scratch that, ordered him to keep the fresh stitches clean and to change the bandage. Well, he had been too tired after their long trip here and everything that he had decided that it could wait until he woke up...So, maybe he should do now something about it before Aprilia will find out that he had disobeyed the strict orders. That would be the Freedom Fighter way to do things but not when it came to a girlfriend's command, then one should obey no questions asked...

Modo's thoughts were interrupted as suddenly a monk in his brown robe walked into the room and Modo only gave a nod at the man.

"Mornin'...! D'ya know what time it is?"

The monk only looked at him but then gave a small bow and left the room again. Modo looked after the man a bit quizzically but rubbed tiredly his eye and yawned into his fist before shaking his head, wanting to wake up from this hazyness but as he opened his eye again he saw the monk had appeared into the room again but now he was carrying a pile of clothes in his arms, neatly folded. He walked calmly to this big grey male who was still sitting on the side of the bed and then made a bow and offered the clothes to him.

"For me?" Modo asked a little doubtful but then shook his head.

"No, ya don't have to... These are just...fine..." Modo replied but as he gave a look at his bloody and tattered camos he gringed slightly. Okay, his clothes were maybe on the grungier side at the moment...But as he raised his look again he met the monk's warm smile as he was still offering the pile of clothes to him and Modo nodded back with a kind smile.

"...thanks, mate...Uh, brother..."

The monk nodded with this ever-glowing smile on his face and walked calmly out of the room, leaving Modo to sit there with the clothes on his lap. He lightly scratched his left ear while regarding these items of clothing before he then took the item on the top to his hands and lifted it a bit so it could fold open infront of his eye. It was a loose long-sleeved shirt, in the colour of burnt sienna. A traditional tunic-shirt amongst the Cave Mice males as the citizens usually in their normal day-to-day-life were wearing these plain clothes that had been dyed with the pigments gotten from the Martian earth. The fabric was coarse as the clothes were made to last, there were no supermarkets or boutiques on Mars where one could just buy more clothes. There were craftsmen who made the clothes. Modo pondered a moment before then slowly getting up as the puncture wound on his left thigh did not appreciate this movement at all. After a bit of a struggle caused by his still a bit unoriented feeling and the hazy mind he got the loose-fitted tunic on and it fell to cover his bare chest, his arms and reached nearly half-way to his thighs. He then took off his ragged camos and changed them to these slightly loose-fitted pants that were made out of the same coarse fabric than the tunic but they were in the colour of very deep brown. Even if the fabric was coarse the items felt warm against his skin and fur. And he had to admit that even if he had been used to the skin-tight jeans, it felt very comfortable in these garments, and light. As he looked down he saw that there had fallen a light-brown leather rope on the floor and he picked that up and tied it around his waist, to keep the tunic in place. He then stood there awhile and let out a sigh. Okay, so this was strange. He didn't even remember when he had been wearing the normal clothes the last time...

As he was to take his boots and leave the sleeping area he saw his refletion from the window close-by and just stood there staring at this image via the glass. He had been so used to wearing the Fighters' combat outfit or the biker clothes so many years now that these plain and normal clothes now struck him as something very unusual and odd but somehow they still felt...familiar and comfortable.

Modo had been wearing these kind of simple clothes himself, like a normal citizen, before joining the Fighters. It was odd to see himself wearing the regular clothes again. The clothes that represented who he was and where he came from. The clothes of his own culture. Seeing himself in these clothes now looking back at him from the window glass suddenly gave him a strong sense of belonging, which was weird. He didn't know he had lost some of that feeling inside of him but it was understandable. As much as the Fighters were fighting for their people and for their planet, they had also been separated from their people and culture. They had been living as outlaws for so long time... And life inside the Headquarters or on the battlefields hardly resembled the normal life and activities of the normal folks. But it had becomen the new normal for the Fighters.

Another deep thundering sound of the gong was now ringing around the monastery and that woke Modo from his inner thoughts and he glanced at the bigger hall's direction and put on his boots before leaving the room and he headed casually towards the sound of the gong, feeling a bit curious as it had been years since he had seen the monks doing their daily ceremonies and prayers.

As he stepped into this bigger candle-lit hall the service had just began and a low chanting quickly filled up the room as a roomful of monks were sitting on the floor, their eyes closed and their heads slightly bowed and their palms, while facing upwards, offered towards the front of the main hall. Modo shifted his look to the front and saw two big bronze statues placed carefully on top of a long wooden table, both of them partly facing each other. They were the two most celebrated gods the Martian Cave Mice had. The other one was the Goddess of the two Moons, the other the God of the Rising Star, which referred to the Sun. These gods had some similarities to the Cave Mice themselves, in the way they were depicted but they looked more morphed, like they were in some form of a reincarnation, where their hands would be there were blooming branches and their legs had morphed into the roots of the trees. The Goddess was carrying a knife and the God a sickle. They represented the duality of the world: life and death, the beginning and the end, male and female, war and peace...

Modo didn't know how long he had stared at the statues, silently contemplating something, but he heard a faint clearing of a voice beside him and as he looked down he saw a monk sitting close to him, on the ground and after their eyes met the monk only turned his head away again and closed his eyes. Modo swallowed and turned his head towards the statues again and quickly made a religious sign to honour the gods as it was accustomed to do when entering the holy place, slightly mentally kicking himself for forgetting that. He brought his both hands together, the palms turned upwards, like when scooping water from a stream, and with a bowed head he brought the palms forward towards the statues and then brought them back close to his face, the gesture symboling him being offered life, food and water from the gods. He gave the statues one last look but then let his arms drop to his sides and was to leave the chanting monks to do their ceremonial activites in peace when he heard a small voice full of warmth behind him.

"You don't wish to stay to sit with us?"

Modo turned around and noticed Riot sitting on the floor, close to him, who now regarded him with a kind look. Modo looked around a bit confused.

"Sorry... Didn't want to interrupt you guys..." He whispered back but Riot only smiled and nodded.

"Noone who comes to the gods is interrupting."

Modo raised his brows but nodded.

"Well, Ah can see ya point... But..."

But Riot only made more space beside him and turned back to his chanting. Modo only regarded him while the same time trying to understand the words they were all using and repeating in their chants since it was in the old Cave Mice dialect, and he could pick up a word or two here and there as his mommah had used these same prayers at her house and taught him some words when he had been a kid. Modo gave a look towards the holy relics in the front again. Suddenly he felt at peace and he couldn't hear the chanting anymore. It was like the time had stopped, even the candles were moving in a more steady pace. He felt calm, like something soft washing through him.

x

x

"Do you know someone called Titania?" Throttle asked as all the Fighters and rebel rats had gathered to eat savva wheat porridge in the dining room area back in the Headquarters, by the old long wooden tables. Harley only briefly raised her look from her plate to meet his eyes, or more likely, to feel his look on her since his specs were covering his look.

"No. Never heard." Harley replied but continued eating. Throttle tapped the spoon lightly against the table, letting his eyes wonder on this big bunch of rebels.

"Hudson! Haden! Have you heard someone called Titania?" He then raised his voice.

Both of the males looked up a bit further away but both of them only shook their heads.

"Nah..."

"Can't say that I have, bro..."

Throttle let out a sigh and leaned to his palm.

"Why would she presume that we even know this person..."

"Well, she might have invented her for all we know... Maybe, she's intentionally leading us into the wrong direction...?" Harley pondered.

"I don't see a reason for her to do so..." Throttle thought out loud.

"Well, we didn't see her to turn her back on us again either, after all we did for her... She just left us to deal with everything even if we took her in and forgave her..." Harley replied.

"Are you holding a grudge?" Throttle was slightly humoured.

"No. I just don't think that was a wise move. She's gonna die out there..." Harley then sighed and placed the spoon on the table, next to the clay bowl.

"Are we gonna go and look for her? Before she'll croak out there?"

Throttle gave the other Fighters a look who had all their eyes on him now after hearing the discussion.

"When exactly did she leave?" Throttle gave Harley a look.

"Well, the data showed that around 6 in the morning..."

"So, she's been out there about, what, eight hours?"

"Possibly."

Throttle gave the men another look.

"I was thinking to go find her... But I wanted the guys to rest and eat first... It's been a long week, I didn't want to put all of our lives at risk, to end up making bad and hasty decisions only because we'd be too tired to think clearly..."

"Smart." Harley nodded. She then shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, maybe all that walking out there in the desert does her some good, gives her some time to think..."

Throttle turned his glance back on the ginger furred mechanic and Harley gave him a look back.

"What?"

"You're kiddin' right?"

"Hey, I have also walked there, in the desert and believe me it was more than eight hours and I had a..." Harley then closed her mouth and looked at her plate. Throttle raised his eyebrow behind his specs.

"You had what?"

Harley didn't look at him, she only bit her lower lip but somehow she had gathered some anxiety in her, Throttle could feel it but he didn't know why she was behaving like this.

"All I'm saying is that people can survive eight hours there." The mechanic then only stated.

"Yeah, well, she can survive but she also could be found by the enemy. Who knows what they'll do to her if they'll get their hands on her again.." Throttle then suddenly got up and gave a look at the long tables filled with mice and rats.

"Haden and Maico! You come with me. Let's find our little runaway..."

The two fighters followed him out of the room and the careful clinging of spoons against the clay bowls filled the room again as everyone else got back to their eating. Harley started to eat again as well but soon felt someone to take Throttle's place and she raised her eyes to meet Aprilia's big brown eyes and they were not looking happy. Harley swallowed the porridge in her mouth.

"What's up, girl?"

"What's up? Seriously? I think you know perfectly well what's up..." Aprilia's voice came out as an agitated whisper and even if been soft it had an edge to it. Harley played with the spoon in her hand and only shook her head.

"No...I don't know what you're talking about..."

Aprilia gave her a glare but turned her look on the plate infront of her that was filled with steamy hot porridge. She contemplated something but then put her spoon down and leaned forward to keep her voice down, she didn't want the whole table to hear them.

"I mean, what are you doing to this poor girl?"

"Who?" Harley asked innocently.

"Charley!" Aprilia hissed back. Harley only kept on playing with her spoon.

"So, the alien came to cry to you about it..."

"No, she did not and stop referring to her as the alien!" Aprilia scolded her friend.

"Well, she is..."

"Either way, she's family to the guys! You can't make her upset!"

"I haven't done anything." Harley only replied to this. Aprilia studied her.

"Well, maybe that's the thing, you haven't done anything, you haven't make her feel at home..."

"Well, she's not at home, her home is on that blue planet..."

"Are you being serious?"

Harley only shrugged her shoulders. Aprilia sighed and rubbed the bridge between her eyes before setting her eyes back on to her friend across the table.

"Why are you like this? You have no reason...!" She then whispered again.

Harley only gave her a glance and Aprilia closed her mouth, observing her but then shook her head.

"_That _is not a reason! Do I have to remind you again that he is with Charley now?"

Harley only poked her food with the spoon but then shrugged her shoulder.

"Well, I can't help it... She just...bugs me..."

"You didn't feel that way when she came here..."

"Well, now I feel."

Aprilia regarded her but then shook her head and took her spoon again.

"Either way, you're not this person, you're not a maleficent person, Harley so stop acting all crazy..."

Harley felt a piercing feeling inside of her and looked away. She shook her head and suddenly looked sorrowful and she turned her eyes back to her plate.

"I just can't help it."

"Yes, you can. You are responsible of your own actions..." Aprilia muttered back, scooping the porridge.

Harley gave her a look.

"They were gone for three years... Did your connection with Modo survived all that time and distance?" Harley asked carefully and Aprilia raised her a bit quizzical look back. She nodded back.

"Yes. The connection never died."

Harley only nodded back with a hint of a smile but there were tears threathening to escape her eyes.

"I know. The connection is hard to break."

Aprilia only stared at this slender mechanic.

"You mean...?"

Harley glared around them but it seemed that noone had heard of their quiet conversation or even paying attention on them at the moment.

"We got a connection, me and Vinnie, just some days before I was...taken away... For me, the connection never died. But maybe...It died for him. Obviously he had moved on..."

Aprilia contemplated on that information. Okay, this made the things a bit more complicated. The Cave Mice population made a connection to their significant other and that connection could make them act differently, it was also the part of their brain networks that controlled for example their territorial behaviour as well. Having the connection meant that you were wired a bit differently, it meant that one could not maybe help the way he or she acted, well, not without a serious attempt and concentration that is. But to have a connection without the other half having it... that would be rare.

"Why you didn't tell me?" Aprilia whispered.

"It took me some time to realize that too...Do you think he has the connection still?" Harley's eyes suddenly turned more enthusiastic but the enthusiasm decreased as she saw the questioning look her friend had. Aprilia only let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

"Who knows... But I don't think he would be with Charley...if he had the connection still. But who can tell, these things are still a bit of a mystery..." Aprilia touched lightly one of her red antennae. Harley looked gloomy again while hunching over her meal.

"Do you think it's possible that my connection just got stronger because we have...?" She started but cut off.

"..because you have a child together?" Aprilia ended the sentence but then her eyes grew bigger.

"You carried a part of him inside of you for ten months, that's why your connection might have comen only stronger whereas his connection could just fade away..."

Harley only shrugged her shoulders, poking her food still. Aprilia let out a sigh but leaned forward again.

"You gotta tell him, tell that he's got a daughter, Harley."

"Why? What's the point anymore? She's gone...and he's too."

"He's not gone. And he has the right to know atleast."

"Yes, sure, the things ain't too awkward around here anyway..."

"A child is a big thing. You can't hide her from him, he has the right to know!"

Harley only nodded but then swallowed and took her plate and got up.

"I think about it." She said and only left. Aprilia let out a deep sigh and leaned to her palm. Beretta was eating a little bit further away from them and she now scooted over, more closer to the blonde haired doctor.

"What was that all about?" The golden furred female asked curiously.

"Nothing... "

"Why was she so upset?"

Aprilia only let out another sigh as an response. Beretta raised her eyebrow and looked after the mechanic but turned her look back on Aprilia.

"Okay... Well, I know that only men could cause such dark emotions in women..."

Aprilia only huffed at this, she knew that this copper haired blue eyed medic was only fishing for some juicy gossips that she loved to collect. Beretta scooted even closer to Aprilia.

"Well, okay, that's none of my business...But that leads me to my next question: How are you? We haven't really been speaking these last couple of days... You haven't been around at the medical facilities.."

"For once things are slow in practise-wise...For which I'm grateful for of course..." Aprilia muttered.

"So, any news about your heavyweight love interest?" Beretta asked.

"He's name is Modo, for the tenth billionth of time, why can't you just say his name...?" Aprilia started to feel herself annoyed.

"Okay, okay...Fine_, Modo_"_. _Beretta repeated lifting her brow and Aprilia quickly turned her face to her.

"Why you don't like him?"

"I haven't said that..."

"You have always said that!"

Beretta sighed.

"It's just because you're my friend and during all these years I've just felt the need to protect you..."

"Why? Why would you need to protect me? From what?"

"You know... You're so small.. So, fragile..."

"I'm not fragile, and I'm not even that small, I've got more meat on my bones than any of the gals in here, you included."

"It's just your whole vibes... You're like this sweet, innocent girl with these big brown eyes and...He's...well, frankly he's huge."

Aprilia rolled her eyes and turned to eat her porridge. Beretta sighed and came still a bit closer to her friend.

"Well, I can see now that you two really love each other but back in the days of war... I mean, when I saw him the first time...I was frankly scared that he could hurt you, I mean that man could crush you with his pinky..."

"Oh, you can't possibly know what he can do with his pinky..." Aprilia drawled but suddenly flamed red when realizing how her sentence came out and she cleared her throat.

"I mean, he would never hurt me. He's the most sweetest guy I've ever met." Aprilia muttered back. There was a short silence as Beretta looked at her friend who at the moment didn't feel too pleased with the golden furred medic.

"C'mon, do I have to say I'm sorry? Okay, I'm sorry, I was wrong... Clearly that man worships the ground you walk on and then some...I know now that he could never ever hurt you. And if anything, he'll protect you from now on, so my job's done."

"Thank you." Aprilia only answered while giving her friend a look back with a slight smile. Beretta smiled back and then after a brief silence she started.

"So, back to this pinky..." She started but Aprilia shot up and took her plate and spoon and left the table.

"Oh, no...! We're not gonna have this discussion...!"

"Okay, fine...! We'll discuss these things over Martian liquor sometimes...!"

"Don't think so...!" Aprilia answered already far away.

x

x


	29. Chapter 29 : Crazy Doctors and Genius

_Hey you all! _

_It's taken me awhile but I'm back again! _

_It's been super hectic and then also it took me a long time to write this chapter, to get my creativity back... But I'm so glad that I finally got over the major major writer's block since I love writing this story and I'm so super grateful for you all out there reading it, too! It just wouldn't be any fun to write this for myself..._

_Please have fun reading this chapter and like always feel free and encouraged to write a few lines after reading, I love reading your comments!  
_

_Thanks so much to all of you who have been reading and reviewing and giving me so much energy to keep me going!  
_

_A very special thanks to Vlaatjee who's words kept me going as I was very stuck with this story. Thanks. I mean it. And go read her stories if for some weird reason you have not yet done so... They ROCK. BIG TIME._

_Peace,_

_SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 29**

**Crazy Doctors and Genius Mechanics  
**

As the day was slowly starting to turn into evening, Throttle came back to the HQ with Maico and Haden. They rolled their bikes in through the big garage doors and parked them neatly amongst the rest of the bikes. Throttle took off his helmet and slowly got off the bike combing his long hair a few times with his fingers. Harley had been working with some of the bikes and now got up and wiped her hands to a rag.

"Any luck?"

"Nope... No sign on our little runaway girl..." Throttle stated and was to head towards the main hall but then quickly glanced around the garage.

"Charley ain't here?"

"Nope."

"Where is she?"

Harley only shrugged her shoulders back.

"How should I know, I ain't her babysitter..."

Throttle glanced at her but then shook his head feeling a bit irritated. They had been out there in the desert looking for Mina for many hours, he was hungry and tired and did not want to face that kind of attitude at the moment. But he didn't say anything, just placed his helmet on the table nearby and continued his walk out of the garage, his footsteps echoing a little from the corridor walls. He had been wondering why was Harley acting so strangely around their Earthling friend, not that he had even seen these two being in the same room with each other... It was strange even for not seeing them two working together since for all he knew they had the same interests and the same passion for machines, they should have a lot to talk about... But right now he didn't have the energy to get into it. Anyway, Charley hadn't said a word so...maybe it was nothing. Maybe.

As he was walking through the main hall he spotted Major Rig lying there on the hospital bed, still tied up. Throttle had been meaning to ask why was their so-called-hostage been rolled out here instead of been in the infirmary but things had been kind of hectic. So many things had been neclegted while more urgent stuff had come up... But as he saw the man lying there again and now glancing at his direction, seemingly pissed off and maybe even for a good reason, he cleared his voice and asked one Fighter near-by.

"Why is that man out here? Shouldn't he be in the infirmary?"

The Fighter glanced at Rig's direction and just shrugged his shoulders.

"Ask the doc..."

Throttle raised his brow at this remark.

"Aprilia did that?"

"Yeah, well, apparently even our sweet doc's got a line that's not to be crossed..." The Fighter joked and Throttle let out a laughter but headed towards Major Rig's direction.

"Major Rig... You're enjoying a little change of scenery, hu?" Throttle drawled as he reached the hospital bed, abandoned there in the corner of the hall, with the patient.

"That doctor's crazy! Pushed me in here without a reason!"

"Is that so?" A slight smile appeared on Throttle's lips as he only thought about what that said scene might have looked like as it was hard to think that their sweet little doctor could get so riled up that she would actually throw a patient out of the infirmary. She took her doctor's ethics quite seriously.

"Well, knowing the doctor she must've had a good reason to escort you out..." Throttle chuckled lightly but Major Rig only turned his angry face away from him.

"Yes, she's a crazy woman! That's her reason...!"

Throttle let out a sigh but then went to the other end of the bed and snapped the locks off the tires and then pushed the bed back to the infirmary with a few rapid and powerful pushes, making the bed sway and shake.

"Wait, what are you doing?! Don't take me back! I don't want to be near that psycho lady...!" Rig cried swaying on the bed, too but they were already gone through the infirmary doors and Throttle rolled the bed in its' place and snapped the locks on the tires, turning to face Beretta and Aprilia who just looked back at him, both having cups of tea on their hands.

"I think you might have lost a patient..." The tan furred male joked.

"No we didn't..." Aprilia muttered back, glaring at Major Rig, who again tried to free himself from the ropes but couldn't. Throttle gave him a look and let out a sigh.

"We can't keep the man tied up to a bed the rest of his life..."

"Thank you! Finally someone's making some sense in here!" Rig huffed a little out of breath from his wiggling. Throttle gave the two medics another look.

"Think his leg's fine?"

"You mean the leg you busted?! Yes, it's fine, thank you very much of your very late concern! Now let me go!" Rig growled.

"The leg's just fine..." Aprilia muttered glaring at the man. Beretta intriguingly followed this exchange of words before she then suddenly realized something and turned her look to meet Throttle's shades.

"What you mean we can't keep him tied up? We can't let that man loose! He's a crazy person and will kill us all while we sleep...!"

Throttle nodded back, giving a light chuckle.

"Well, check his leg again to make sure he's good to leave the infirmary, I will find a room where we can keep him..."

"How about some food, too?! I'm starving!" Rig raised his voice.

"Well, personally I've found out that people are a lot more chatty when they're hungry... And also as we do have food ratios here, we all work very hard to earn that food, too...So, do you feel like you'll finally give us some information that'll turn out to be valuable to us?" Throttle crossed his arms, waiting, while giving Rig a look but this only snorted back.

"I don't have to tell you shit!"

Throttle nodded back and turned to leave.

"Fine... Maybe you're not hungry enough..."

"This is torture!" Major Rig hollored after him and that made Throttle to turn around again and his raspy voice got deeper.

"Do you think that they're keeping better care of General Carbine in whatever rotten cell they're keeping her in?"

Major Rig only glared back his eyes gleaming with anger.

"Thought so too...Atleast you've got a soft bed...Be lucky that we didn't leave you out there dying, gods know you weren't that generous for our lost brothers..." Throttle mumbled back and while leaving the infirmary he gave Aprilia a last look.

"You inform me if he's making any trouble, not that you're not apparently capable of dealing with him yourself..." Throttle flashed a quick smile and Aprilia only nodded back.

"Will do..." The blonde doctor looked after Throttle but then turned her head back to the Major before feeling a light touch on her shoulder.

"I can check on his leg..." Beretta told her and Aprilia gave her a smile back.

"Thanks..." She then gave the clock on the wall a look.

"Oh, shit... I was meaning to have just a small break.. I have to leave, I'm helping Charley to build this thing..."

"What are you building?" Beretta asked but Aprilia only shrugged her shoulders back.

"I'm not entirely sure myself either... I'm just the assistant..." She blurted out and hurried out of the infirmary.

x

x

Throttle walked back to the main hall and towards the bigger VidCom screen and nodded at Haden who was just dusting off some sand off him from their ride out in the desert.

"Can you connect me with the Kasei Valles monastery? I need to talk with Stoker, and the rest of them too..."

"You've got a plan, chief?" Haden smiled back while tapping a code using the VidCom's controls panels.

"Yeah. I've got a plan." Throttle answered while sitting down infront of the screen. Haden nodded approvingly.

"Right on, brother..! Finally! Let's get this party started already!"

Throttle nodded and then placed a heavy folder on the control panels and Haden just stared at the big file.

"...that's one big-ass folder you've got there, bro..."

"It's a big-ass plan I've got, too..." Throttle only answered while leafing through the pages.

"Maybe I was too eager to call this plan "a party"... That folder is screaming for "work"... " Haden mumbled back and Throttle nodded back.

"Yeah, well we've got work cut out for us all, alright...It's not easy to save an entire planet..." Throttle cleared his throat.

x

x

"So, what are ya saying, bro? You found God?" Vinnie snickered as Modo only huffed back.

"Nah, it was just a weird experience, 's all..." Modo scratched his neck a little awkwardly after he had just shared his little incident back at the monastery with the monks, the chanting and the statues of the gods.

"I bet it was... Was there a choir of angels, too?" Vinnie chuckled pleased with his own joke and Modo gave him a slightly irritated snort back.

"Don't be daft, angels don't exist..."

"Well, neither do gods so there ya go..." The white furred male nonchalantly stated back driving the truck they were using while cruising around the desert. They were using this Army truck Radius' men had stolen from the Army as their little patrol vehicle. Modo gave him another glance, riding the shotgun, but then concentrated on these vast sand plains outside the truck windows again. They hit a bigger pothole and the truck jumped up and down as did Vinnie and Modo inside the cabin as well.

"Damn it, Vin, can't ya drive a bit slower? This ain't a dirtbike, ya know...?" Modo grunted while sitting more comfortably again but Vinnie only huffed at this.

"Slower? Ha! I don't do slow! I'm the speedmaster of this galaxy!"

"Ladies must love that..." Modo muttered the corner of his mouth slightly twitching but Vinnie didn't pay too much attention on this remark of his trucker buddy as they were cruising along and anyway, he's mind was already somewhere else.

"So, what's up with those clothes, man? Ya look like a naga farmer..." Vinnie snickered referring to the traditional clothing Modo was still wearing as his own clothes had gone tattered beyond repair due to his nearly drowning experience.

"Hey, laugh all ya want, but there are so much room in these rags! Ah can feel my blood circulation in my legs again..." Modo joked back. Vinnie only snorted and hit his thigh in these skinlicking biker jeans.

"I'm personally more interested in showing my studly figure not hiding it!"

Modo only chuckled at this and a small silence fell inside the cabin but ofcourse it didn't last long.

"This is boring, man! Why we had to take the truck?! It takes forever to drive this piece of shit across the desert...!" Vinnie whined but Modo wasn't too concerned.

"Somewhere ya need to be?"

"Yeah! Alive! I need to feel the air and the wind! Not be stuck inside a damn metal cage! I was born free!"

Modo huffed lightly.

"Well, Ah told Stoker when he told us to go do this lil' patrol ride that Ah ain't ridin' another bike than my own...Guess this was his way of tellin' me that he doesn't care whether we crawl out here to do our patrol as long as we do it...Look out!" Modo suddenly saw this sand dune right infront of them and Vinnie quickly turned the wheels and the truck was about to fall on its' side but just in time it bounced back on its' four tires and the both males hit the roof and the walls of the cabin before the truck came to a stop.

"Hm, this is a tricky machine..." Vinnie pondered rubbing his chin but Modo only gritted his teeth and touched his sore antenna.

"It ain't tricky if ya just drove it more carefully!"

"Careful is for losers!"

"Oh yeah? Well, Ah just escaped one near-death experience and ain't looking for a sequeal so Ah'm gonna use this the rest of the trip..." Modo mumbled and put on his seat belt. Vinnie snorted back a little offended.

"Where's the trust, bro?"

"Better safe than sorry..."

"That's one of the lamest lines ever. Who came up with that anyway? Better safe than sorry? For what would you be sorry for? For having a little fun? Geez...But you're all crippled now so I'm gonna let it slide that you're using the sissy belt..." Vinnie thought out loud while starting the engine again.

"Ah ain't crippled! Just a bit under the weather..." Modo snorted back and absent-mindedly let his flesh fingers search the bandage underneath his loose shirt. The bandage felt moist again although he had dutyfully changed it before taking off to this wild ride. The stitches on his ribs were still leaking fluids and blood. In a normal world he would still be in the hospital, lying on the hospital bed, popping painkillers but unfortunately this was not a normal world and not a normal life... Man, he should've asked some pain meds from Dr. Shelly...

"Stop touching it, bro! It'll get infected...And I'm not gonna take ya back to a hospital...Those places creep me out..." Vinnie ordered after seeing the big grey male poking his hurt ribcage area.

"It itches..."

"Whiney, whiney... What I'm itching is to get my hands dirty! Where are all the goons when one needs them anyway? I mean, wouldn't ya just love to have some action right now?!" Vinnie sighed his eyes back on the road, well on the sand.

"No, not really..." Modo drawled, looking out of the window again. The sun was about to set and slowly the scenery was turning darker by the minute. It was beautiful out here. On a moments like this Modo really remembered how much he had missed the homeplanet. Even if the planet was mostly ruined by now, it still was their home. He would not ever trade this planet for anything. Modo inhaled deeply and leaned more back still letting his eye wander on this red desert. It was peaceful, well, it could've been peaceful...

"I know what'll cheer ya right up! Let's go more further away! Let's go to the border and hassle the Army goofs!" Vinnie got excited again, bouncing on his driver's seat.

Modo changed looks with the white furred male, not really buying this idea.

"What? No..."

"Oh, c'mon, bro..." Vinnie started his pleading.

"Just one quick dash! Quick quick quick!"

"We can't fight the entire Army just by the two us..." Modo mumbled back.

"Who said anything about fighting? Just a little, you know..." Vinnie tapped the steering wheel excitedly.

"No, Ah don't know..."

"We'll just tease them a bit..."

"No."

"Just a liiiiiiitle bit...?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you, man? You never said no to a good hassle before..." Vinnie muttered back, his excitement now deflated.

"We're on the same side, us and the Army, even if they don't realize that..." Modo explained although knowing it was kind of useless.

"Well, let's go there and _explain _it to them then... Biker Mice-style, ofcourse!" Vinnie gritted his teeth banging his fist against the steering wheel and the truck swirled a little and they hit the interiors of the truck again.

"Deimos! Who taught ya to drive anyway?!" Modo held his sore ribcage which was not atleast getting better in this death trap. Vinnie let out a laughter.

"Since when does one need to be taught how to drive, bro? C'mon... That's silly..." Vinnie chuckled back.

Modo let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Anyway, we got strict orders to stay close to the monastery...It ain't safe out here for us..."

"Safe? Sounds like _a certain someone_ is too scared to make a fuss..." Vinnie tried to manipulate the situation slyly.

"No... Unlike _someone _Ah don't constantly need a distraction!" Modo lashed out and Vinnie's ears flattened momentarily before perking right back up again.

"Oh, you're no fun..." Vinnie huffed.

"Fun? We can't just go to the border and show ourselves! These guys are looking for us! With guns and dumdums! And they're the Army so they'll shoot first and ask later so Ah won't have the chance to plead for your insanity..." Modo drawled, not really believing why it was always this hard to knock some sense to his younger bro.

"What ya mean we can't? Got the truck right here, baby! So, let's go already!" Vinnie raised his voice, totally ignoring nearly everything the grey furred male just said.

"We are using the Army's truck, too, so we could just sneak right in there!" Vinnie continued his plan.

Modo only raised his eyebrow at this.

"When have ya ever sneaked into anywhere?"

"Well, I've sneaked out of a lots of places..." Vinnie talked and Modo turned his look back on him and Vinnie noticed this and shrugged his shoulders.

"But those stories are not for your conservative ears, my friend..."

"Ya think Ah'm conservative?" Modo chuckled back.

"Well..." Vinnie drawled looking out of the window while the truck bounced a little again.

"You do have pretty old school ways when it comes to the women...But hey, no judging, I guess not everybody can be blessed with the call of the wild!" Vinnie then flashed a charming smile and Modo nodded back, chuckling a little.

"Well, Ah'm afraid your wild days are over too, bro... You're with Charley-ma'am now. In case that slipped off your mind..."

Vinnie cleared his throat.

"Well, Charley knows that this tiger cannot be tamed!"

"Ah think that if she were here she would tie your mouth close with your own tail..." Modo talked back and Vinnie clearly seemed a bit unease with this conversation but continued his bravado anyway.

"Well, the good ol' ball and chain might suit ya but it ain't my look!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Modo gave his younger bro a glare.

"Meaning that you might like it being in a tight leash but I don't..."

"Ah'm not in any leash!" Modo growled back but Vinnie let out a laugh.

"Sure you are! And if askin' me you're missin' out a lot! But hey, again, not judging..."

"Missin' out what exactly? Flirtin' with other women?" Modo snorted back. Vinnie gave him a quick look and then only chuckled.

"Well, ain't no harm in flirtin'...Gee, is this the chastity police calling from the 50's..."

"Just don't think that's appropriate behaviour..."

"And that is why you're conservative, bro! See what I did there? We came a full circle here!"

But Modo only shook his head, not feeling the same thrills.

"Being faithful is not conservative. It's what's right." He argued back.

"Wow-wow, Big Guy! Who's throwing in big words now? Who said anything about not being faithful?" Vinnie asked cluelessly. Modo let out a sigh but before he could answer Vinnie beat him to it.

"All I'm saying is that I think love should be based on freedom. It's not healthy to be locked away...!"

"Well, sure... But that doesn't mean that you could act the way you please..." Modo growled back.

"Ain't that the exact meaning of freedom?" Vinnie tried his luck and smirked.

Modo only glared at him back and the white furred male only widened his smirk.

"Don't push it..."

"Gods, lighten up, bro... See, this is why we can't ever talk about politics..."

"This ain't politics..."

"Sure it is! The politics of love! The only real politics! The only politics that matter!"

"Right..." Modo muttered and looked out of the window again but they hit another big pothole and they bounced in the cabin again.

"Gods damn it, Vinnie! Do Ah need to take the wheel to get us alive from here?!" Modo grunted and Vinnie only chuckled.

"What? Just because I hit a few bumps..."

"Hopefully we'll still have this tin can in one piece when we head back... Radius will kick both of our asses if we trash this truck, we still need it..." Modo muttered back, listening a little worryingly how the truck sounded after been mishandled by Vinnie's exuberant driving skills.

"That man sure is a drag...You can clearly see what the Army does to a man's will to live..." Vinnie wondered out loud but let out an exasperated grunt.

"C'mon bro, let's head it to the border! Stoker don't even have to know! We just go there and shake the ground a bit!"

"The only thing shaking here seems to be the busted exhaust pipe..." Modo muttered back a bit worryingly, turning the side mirror to see the back of the truck more clearly.

"I'm only trying to cheer you up, bro! C'mon... Let's go have a tiny little peek of what's going on at the border...What d'ya say?" Vinnie gave Modo a look but as it seemed that the big guy was not to be persuated still Vinnie amped up his offer.

"Army or not... These guys are working on the same side as Mace and he's the reason your bike's gone missin', bro..."

Modo glanced at his bro's direction his eye brow raised a little, a good sign that "he's listening".

"Just a quick ride, bro! We're already patroling and we might as well patrol more near the border, right? I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right, Big Guy?" Vinnie gave his bro another hopeful look and Modo finally nodded back.

"Fine... Let's take the scenic route back to the monastery... But not too close to the border!"

"You mean that?!" Vinnie's ears perked and Modo only shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure...Anyway, it's like ya said, what harm would it do to differ a little from the route..." Modo mused watching out of the window and feeling how the truck started to go faster as Vinnie got his excitement back.

"Yiiihaaaaw! Back on the road again!" Vinnie cheered and made his trademark high-pitched warcry and Modo covered his big ears as it sounded like the fire siren echoing in the cabin.

x

x

"I did it." Charley blurted out a bit baffled herself. Then she jumped back on to her feet and screamed.

"I did it!" She did a small happy dance while Aprilia walked into her room carrying another cup of tea but stopped and looked at the cheering mechanic.

"You did what...?"

"I found Modo's bike!"

Aprilia was just taking a sip of freshly brewed tea but now inhaled the liquid to her lungs and started to cough wildly and Charley rushed to hit her in the back. Soon Aprilia got her breathing stable enough to heave in and out a few times, her eyes all watery from this fit and she looked up to this Earthling who still looked at her worryingly.

"You did what?" Aprilia asked again.

"I found Lil' Hoss... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine... You... found... How?! I was gone only an hour...?! I thought we were still making the device..."

"Oh, that was a quick one to make once I found the right circuit board..." Charley waved her hand.

"Oh..." Aprilia's ears drooped a little seemingly a bit sad that she had missed this monumental triumph but her ears perked back up and she smiled at this furless alien.

"Well, maybe it was best that you had a peaceful environment to do your work, the last thing I wanted was to slow you down since I know how much Modo misses his bike, I really want him to get his bike back..."

"You didn't slow me down! You helped a lot...!" Charley answered and placed her hand on Aprilia's shoulder.

"You helped to saw that metal sheet!" Charley reminded and Aprilia let out a laughter.

"Well, you know... I'm good with the saw, comes with the profession..." Aprilia nodded with a smirk but noticed the confused expression on Charley's face and it dawned on Aprilia that the mechanic didn't get her joke and what's more her joke might be on the grimmer side and her own smirk quickly disappeared...

"...I've done amputations..." Aprilia nearly whispered, realizing how awful that might actually sound to the people who did not saw people's arms and legs.

"Oh..." Charley blinked at this and Aprilia only took another sip of tea to cover her flushed face with the big cup but luckily Charley did not get caught on to that subject and she turned around and waved Aprilia to come and see the device and sure enough, there it was, although still a few wires poking out, it looked quite a professional little device and it was beeping silently.

"Why does it beep?" Aprilia asked.

"Oh, it's just connecting with the Martian satellites..." Charley explained.

"So even if Lil' Hoss' is not responding properly it still sends these subtle signals that the satellites could pick up?" Aprilia asked and Charley nodded proudly.

"Very good! And yes, that's exactly right! I just needed to search these signals using the frequency all the Freedom Fighters' bikes are using... That was the hardest part, to collect those signals as they were so subtle... And even if we don't know the exact place where the bike is, we can follow these signals it has left like breadcrumbs and we could follow them!" Charley explained and Aprilia only shook her head amazed.

"Can't believe those guys don't constantly brag about you... That is so awsome not to mention genius!"

"Well..." Charley polished her finger nails to her shirt.

"I have my moments..."

"No, really, this is great!"

"You think Modo will be pleased?" Charley smirked at Aprilia who only gave a guffaw.

"Pleased?! Are you being serious? I think that if he hadn't already proposed me he would've married you instead just because you found his beloved bike!"

Charley blinked at this new piece of information.

"Wait, what? He did what to you?"

"Oh, no... I'm not good in keeping secrets..." Aprilia sighed for yet another person now knew about her and Modo getting engaged even if it was meant to be kept as a secret for now, because, well... Too much was happening right now.

"First he doesn't tell me about you and then he keeps his proposal as a secret! Man I really should punch that big knucklehead! Men! They're all the same, Martians or not..." Charley crossed her arms but then suddenly grabbed Aprilia by her hand.

"Well, that can wait, now c'mon! Let's go tell Throttle!"

Aprilia let out a small yelp as she had no other choice than to follow this stronger female who was dragging her after her and half of her teacup's content spilled on the floor.

x

x

x

x


	30. Chapter 30 : Throttle's Plan

_Hey you guys!_

_So, I would like to very humbly thank you all of you out there who have been reading this loyally. And a very special thanks to Vlaatjee, Wolftattoo and Margarite987re who have very dutyfully reviewed and given so much thought to this story! Really, I would have not made it this far without you all out there!_

_So, next I would also very humbly apologize for taking nowadays so long to upload new chapters. I've been very stressed and when stressed my mind doesn't work so well so it has really taken a long time. I have so much things alredy ready in my head and I from now on try to also be more dutyful when it comes to write this story furthermore..._

_I sincerely hope that my lack of not uploading too often isn't making it too difficult for you all out there to follow this sometimes a bit messy storyline..._

_But, I've managed to write another chapter for you all._

_Hope you guys like it._

_Have a fun summer!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 30**

**Throttle's Plan**

"...so, you think that the Plutarkians are behind all this?" Stoker asked Throttle via the VidCom but turned his gaze towards Radius and Simson as well as they were sitting next to him in this little nook in the monastery. Radius was sitting his back straight, his long military service shining through him but the two others were more relaxed even if Simson had to sit carefully his other leg raised on top of the other, slightly leaning to his other side as his tail was only a stump wrapped in gauze after the accident that nearly took his and Modo's life and the stump hurt like hell if bothered. But miraculously this rebel rat leader didn't let his nearly-gone-tail bother himself too much.

"It just gotta be like that, coach..." Throttle answered knowing that he didn't actually have any proofs to back up this hunch, only his gut was telling him this, and well, his gut had been right in many occasions during his relatively short but adventureous lifetime. This whole mess they were in right now had a very particular stench and to his nose it smelled like plutarkian. Stoker nodded, rubbing his chin but heard a sigh coming next to him.

"Well, I don't know about that... I mean the Plutarkians left the planet, remember? And we haven't had any sights on them in a few years..." Radius was not that convinced about this theory.

"Not seeing them doesn't mean that they're not around... I mean, take Mace... We never see even a hair of him and for all we can tell he's been masterminding many things lately..." Simson muttered but gave them all a look.

"I mean... We can only suppouse...We haven't got hard evidence to even prove that...Only thing we've got is that your little doctor girl could smell him while hallucinating..."

"Mindwalking." Stoker corrected and Simson gave a smirk back.

"Well whatever, you antennaheads are weird.." The rat pointed his antenna-less head. The three of them heard a clearence of voice as Throttle saw it better to continue before they would go sidetracked from the main discussion.

"I've thought about this a lot...And first I thought it was only our own rotten government that just wanted us Fighters dead as for some kind of a revenge or for a precautionary act...But we have to remember what the history has taught us and remember what happened during the war... Mace is still out there and I don't think he's got any good memories of us... He worked for the Plutarkians back then so who says he's still not on their payroll?" Throttle took away his glasses and cleaned them using his red bandana but didn't let that interrupt his flow.

"As we came back to Mars, you Stoker contacted us straight away and told us that the government had tracked down former Freedom Fighters and even if you had tried, you had not managed to get in touch with any of them since that, except the ones we rescued from the secret desert base... I think it's safe to say we are not likely to find them anymore, the rest of the Fighters, and even if we did..." Throttle suddenly closed his mouth and looked like he was pondering something but then let out a sigh and put his field specs back on.

"...they're likely to be dead. All of them." Stoker ended that sentence and a silence fell over them. Throttle cleared his voice again and gazed down for a brief moment, nodding. Stoker leaned back on his seat, his look becoming grim, like he would have been full of hope to find his brothers and sisters and proteges alive until this moment.

"Look, Stoker... I'm sorry but... I think we can't have too much hope to ever find our lost brothers..." Throttle gave his mentor a look who only nodded back, his look casted to the floor.

"Yeah, I know you're propably right... I mean, you three were gone for three years, a lotta shit has been happening behind the scenes during that time... I think I just thought that in the end I would find them..."

"I'm sorry." Throttle answered quietly.

"May their souls rest in peace. Where ever they are..." Stoker muttered and Throttle nodded back.

"May their souls rest in peace." Throttle's hoarse voice repeated but suddenly heard steps running towards the hall and he glanced around and saw Charley who was practically still dragging Aprilia with her, running towards them.

"We found Lil' Hoss! We found her!" Charley hollored from far-away but as she came closer she stopped running and her face was beaming as she let go of Aprilia's hand who looked like this intense sprint had took a toll on her and the blonde female stopped on her tracks and inhaled deeply, leaning to her knees but Charley was already walking to Throttle and explaining the same time.

"The machine worked! I tracked her down! I can't belive it actually worked...!" The smile was quickly wiped away from the Earthling's face as she saw the grim faces on Throttle and also on the three males with whom he had been apparently having a VidCom call.

"...oh, sorry...Am I interrupting something...?"

Throttle was already to open his mouth but Stoker beat him to it, having suddenly a gentle smile on his lips.

"No, no, Gorgeous... I think we could use some good news..."

Charley was a bit hesistant still to continue but as her eyes fell on Throttle he could see the same encouraging smile on him as the tall tan male was now leaning to his seat.

"I knew you could do it, Charley-Girl!"

Charley blushed a little and pointed behind her.

"Well, Aprilia helped me and..." She gave a look behind her back but didn't see the short doctor anywhere but as her eyes searched the room she could find the female sitting by the longer table, still a bit out-of-breath. A small smile appeared on Charley's lips.

"Aprilia helped me..." The auburn-haired mechanic started again and turned her gaze back to the four males.

"...and we detected Lil'Hoss. She's still sending these faintest signals but just strong enough to be found using the best satellites you guys have..."

"That's great news, Charley-girl..." Stoker nodded approvingly, some of the sadness now cleared away from his face but the hurt and sorrow could still shine through his gaze and even if Charley didn't know what type of a call he had just disrupted, she could sense that there was something heavy lingering in the air and her eyes searched for Throttle again like to make some sense what was going on and to make sure he was okay but the tan male only cleared his throat and gave Stoker a look.

"Let's have a small break and I can talk to the girls about their findings and in the meantime maybe one of you could fetch Riot? I need him present as there's something I've been working on and need to ask from him..."

"I go." Stoker already got up and left, seemingly grateful to get just a little bit alone-time to clear his head after the heavy start of this VidCom call.

Throttle ended the call and got up and showed Charley to come and sit infront of the long table to share the news once again and get a deeper understanding what it really was that the mechanic had found.

"Are you sure this is the right time to discuss about this...? I mean, I think this can wait a bit..." Charley tried as she lowered her voice but felt Throttle's warm and strong palm on her shoulder, gently guiding her to sit down by the table.

"Hey, if Modo finds out we didn't treat this matter as the number one priority we've got us a big trouble... Besides we had to have a small pause anyway..." Throttle sat down by the table as well and glanced at Aprilia's direction who had seemingly gotten her lungs to work again and her big brown eyes were looking back at him.

"How are ya doing, doc?"

"Fine...and even better now that Modo's bike's safe...!"

"Well, don't know about that just yet... Chances are the bike's pretty far away... I don't know just when and how we're gonna get the bike back..." Charley seemed a bit hesitant to call this a big triumph just yet.

"Let me see the coordinates..." Throttle said and Charley gave him the piece of paper where she had written them down.

"Well..." Throttle then pondered a second.

"Vinnie and Modo currently are patroling according to Stoker, so maybe we could check where they are and see if it matches these coordinates even the slightest...It's a small chance but..."

"They are doing what? Modo's doing what?!" Aprilia suddenly snapped out of her delightment and her voice became sharp enough to make Throttle wince slightly.

"Stoker send them to patrol..."

"Modo just got back from a surgery! He should be in bed to recover!" Aprilia raised her voice.

"Whoa, easy there doc... I'm sure it's only this relaxed joyride across the desert I mean, since we got back to Mars, we really haven't had the time to really get some time to just ride the red sands and inhale the cool desert air... I'm sure they're both fine... Anyway, Stoker told me he gave them two strict orders to stay close to the monastery..."

"Strict orders?!" Aprilia snorted and got up.

"Like that would mean anything! You guys don't listen to the orders even if your life would depend upon them...!" The fair couloured female stormed out of the hall. Charley looked after the female but glanced back to Throttle who got up as well but headed to the monitors to feed the coordinates to their gps systems, not really bothered by this little outburst.

"You think I should...maybe...?" Charley carefully got up as well and followed him not really sure if she should follow Aprilia instead or not but Throttle didn't seem to put too much thought for the blonde female's anger.

"She'll come down... Trust me, angry girlfriends are nothing new inside the Headquarters...Now, let's see where do these coordinates take us..." Throttle started to write down the coordinates to the computer.

"Ever thought that the girlfriends might have a good reason to let out some steam every once and awhile while being stuck with this much of testosterone...?" They heard a husky voice and Harley walked to them.

"If you're checking coordinates then you could check those coordinates Mina left us the same time..."

"Already checked those...They're pointing twenty kilometres away from Brimstone City...But the satellites only showed that there's this old warehouse, nothing more..."

"Oh, well, maybe it's just a sad excuse to try and distract us..." Harley wondered.

Throttle nodded but consentrated on his task again. Harley crossed his arms and stood there, looking at the computer screen but carefully made her gaze to fall on to her side where Charley was standing.

"You can go to check if Aprilia's fine, she seemed pretty shaken up... We can handle this, civilian." The ginger furred female then blurted and Charley gave her a look. It seemed that the Earthling was to say something back but suddenly changed her mind and closed her mouth.

"Yeah. Why don't I do that..." She muttered back.

They heard the Earthling's boots echoing in the hall before a silence took over the big room they were in, only the clicking sounds were to disrupt that silence as Throttle was writing down the coordinates.

"Not cool..." Throttle's voice then suddenly pierced the air. Harley's ears twiched and she leaned closer the monitor.

"You found something?"

Throttle pushed a few more buttons but then straightened his back and turned around to face the shorter female.

"I mean you, Harley... You might wanna check that attitude of yours, Charley's one of us, she's family, and she means a lot to me and for Modo...and for Vinnie."

Harley didn't know why he had kept a small pause there but crossed her arms and shook her shoulders.

"We should not give someone special treatment just because someone's an alien... This is the Freedom Fighter's Headquarters and she is not a Fighter. We're not sharing our tactics and work with the civilians, you know that..."

Throttle let his gaze study the female infront of him a few more seconds before he turned back to the computer to continue the typing.

"Well, maybe we need to make some changes around here then..."

"What's that suppouse to mean?" Harley asked but then the VidCom came alive again and Throttle left the computer to join the call.

"You can take the lead here, Harley, search the coordinates and come tell me as soon as you find the place..."

"Got it, chief..."

Throttle sat down infront of the VidCom again and cleared his voice.

"Fellas..."

He then nodded to Riot the monk who had joined them as well.

"Cousin."

Riot only made a little bow with his head.

"Okay, first things that I wished to talk about with you all is that there's a great urge to merge our troops..." Throttle started.

"Yes, as I've said already my men are fighting alongside with you..." Radius started but Throttle shook his head.

"That won't be good enough. There are now too many separate groups and we can't have any "us" or "them" mentality around here... We need to merge...Our units must become one unit." Throttle told Simson and Radius but then gave Stoker a look.

"I mean... I think I'm speaking for the both of us here, coach, that we can fight only as one team here..."

"Sure. That sounds sensible." Stoker smiled nodding, knowing that his ptotege was not really sure about his position in the Freedom Fighters ranks just yet. Sure he had asked him to be his follower as the leader of the Fighters but nothing had been announced yet. Simson nodded approvingly to the idea.

"Well, us rebel rats will fight until the end, brother. And I don't care about the labels... There are worse titles than being a Freedom Fighter...!" Simson nodded but Radius cleared his throat.

"Okay, gentlemen... Let's pause a bit... You want us all to become Freedom Fighters?"

"Well, why not? You should be thrilled for such an upgrade to your status, Lieutenant!" Stoker smirked back.

"Ex-Lieutenant...And no, I don't consider that being a guerilla fighter looks too pretty on one's curriculum... " Radius corrected and glanced at Stoker who only crossed his arms behind his neck.

"Not maybe pretty but bad-ass..."

"You're not in the Army anymore, Radius...Why not become a Freedom Fighter? If you're gonna fight alongside with us with your men and against the government...That's pretty much who you would be anyway. A freedom fighter. A guerilla soldier." Throttle tried to talk but Radius only shook his head and scratched his neck.

"I'm not the Army anymore but I can't just join the Freedom Fighters, I mean.. You guys... You're just..."

"Too cool?" Stoker guessed with a charming smirk and Radius sighed.

""Well... Boys... As a professionally trained soldier I'm not totally thrilled about your, er...ways of dealing with things..." Radius started and Stoker made a snort next to him.

"You mean fighting back...?"

But Radius wasn't done yet and he turned to Stoker and started to list things with his long white fingers.

"You're load, obniouxiously self-confident, too reckless and too hard to control, you all carry illegal guns and I'm sure none of you have a lisence to carry the guns you're holding..."

Throttle and Stoker gave each other a silent look.

"...all I'm saying is that if we are to be one unit... Things have to change a bit. Soldiers need discipline, they have to take orders and follow them. War is not a giant party! It's war! We need to be professional about this!"

"Sounds boring." Stoker yawned at this.

"There is no harm to apply useful things and tactics even if you didn't come up with them yourself. I don't know why you're so scared of showing that you might have actually some faults in your tactics as well, Stoker..." Radius' voice was strict as he gazed this old and renowned Fighter.

Stoker turned his brown eyes to meet Throttle's specs as he pointed the Lieutenant with his thumb.

"Is it too late to ditch the Army?"

"You were once part of the Army as well, in your younger days! In the days when you were still sane...!" Radius raised his voice, and his always collected behaviour started to crack a bit.

"Only time I was delusional was when I still marched along the Army's orders!" Stoker raised his voice as well and Throttle heaved a sigh on the other side of the VidCom.

"We need them, Stoke... And Radius, we are very glad that you and the loyals of Carbine have chosen to fight alongside with us. Together there are close to eighty of us all. But we need to merge, who cares what we're called?"

Radius let out a sigh and thougth for a second but then nodded.

"...Okay... You're right, it doesn't matter what we're called...Might as well become The Freedom Fighters..." Radius said but shook visibly with some built-up disgust for the whole idea.

"So, you keep on telling that we have to merge and become one unit and all... Planning to join us here anytime soon? Or is it maybe safer for us to start practising there on that side of the border in the no-man's land?" Simson asked.

"Our fight is there inside the Mouse Territories. We need to be there..." Throttle explained.

"But where can we fit this big of a crowd?" Simson asked. Throttle smiled and gave Riot a nod.

"Well, that's where you're coming into the picture, Riot..."

Riot nodded and smiled back.

"Our humble home is your home as long as you need."

"Wait... So, you're planning that us Fighters would have our Headquarters inside the monastery? Again?" Stoker asked a bit surprised to hear this plan.

"Sure, I mean why not? Let's face it, our enemies are thinking way too highly of us to even think that we would ever do a stunt like that again... Also, the Kasei Valles are far away from any habitation and from the Brimstone City, we could be in peace, noone would even think to look us from there...To buy us some time we can let them think that we're outside the borders still. We can try and use the tunnels to get us across the border. It's worth to try anyway even if it has its' own risks as well..." Throttle explained.

"You're sure it's okay for us staying in here? I mean it can get a bit crowded after awhile..." Stoker asked Riot who only nodded back.

"We have big storage spaces outside the monastery, carved into the mountain, under where this monastery is placed, but they have stayed unused... They might suit your needs though."

"Okay...Sounds good...We could go and check on those after this call..." Stoker smiled and radiated with sudden joy as he got excited again. Throttle nodded.

"Okay, well, the next thing would be to get us from here to that side of the border...We must pack everything useful here and abandon this place, maybe try and destroy some evidence if the enemy finds their way here... We have Mina still wandering somewhere, she might babble the coordinates here..."

"Speaking of coordinates..." Harley then appeared next to Throttle.

"Hello, H! You just keep on getting prettier day by day!" Stoker greeted the mechanic who only smirked back, slightly annoyed though.

"Sure, that's all we girls are here for... To look pretty... That's our secret weapon to fight the bad boys..."

"Well, you could seriously knock them dead, Gorgeous!" Stoker winked and Harley rolled her eyes and placed a paper infront of Throttle, on top of the monitor.

"I searched both of the coordinates, Lil' Hoss' and then double checked the coordinates Mina left... That's not a surprise that a tunnel leads to where Lil' Hoss is but that's a surprise that a tunnel leads to the warehouse in the desert as well... Kinda weird to have a tunnel dig by the rats to lead to a deserted storage out there that close to Brimstone City, hu?"

Throttle took the paper and studied the coordinates.

"Well, maybe our lil' runaway tried to tell us something after all..."

"Any updates on what was that rest of the note about she left?" Stoker asked but Throttle only shook his head.

"Nope, nada, coach, noone's heard of this gal called Titania..."

"Oh..." Stoker got to say before Radius suddenly made his posture on his seat even more straight.

"Titania?" He asked a frown on his face.

Throttle raised his eyes to study the ex-Lieutenant behind his specs but let him continue.

"There's a Major in the Army called Titania... Maybe she's the same one as this?"

"Could be? She's a loyal to Carbine?" Throttle asked but Radius shook his head.

"That I don't know... But I only got so little time to gather the ones I could get in-touch with, I'm sure there are a lot more still in the Army rows..."

"Can you maybe get in touch with her somehow?" Stoker asked.

"Well, I can try... But we have to make sure the calls are not traced back to here..." Radius wondered.

"Okay. Well, I see we've got ourselves a little plan here... We start packing things here and try to find the safest route and tunnel to use to get us that side of the border and to the Kasei Valles. Meantime you can go check that space under the monastery and Radius tries to find this Titania. How's that sound?" Throttle gave the four males a look and they nodded back approvingly.

"Great! I'll inform when we're ready to head out there!" Throttle nodded and ended the call.

"Talk to you soon!"

x

x

"...that was a monumental leap! I mean all the girls swooned and men sighed for such a remarkable stunt...!" Vinnie was excitedly talking in the truck while Modo was concentrating looking at the scenery and trying to block this continuos babble out of his head. Not that he saw anymore so clearly what was happening outside as it was getting real dark now and only his own reflection was faintly shining back from the window against the black deserts.

"...then I took my weapons and turned around, still flying in the air! And I aimed and hit all the goons, one by one! What a victory! A truly a masterful execution! You should've seen me there..!"

"Ah was there, remember?" Modo only muttered back slightly irritated that again his bro was taking all the credit of the trio's work against the Limburger's goons back on Earth.

"Yes you were there but it was this Greatest Biker of All that saved the day!"

"Ah know, it's a priviledge to spend each day of the year with such a legend..." Modo rubbed the back of his ear tiredly. He then tried to look and see something in this darkness outside the truck.

"How long scenic route were ya planning on taking? We've been driving for hours and Ah still don't get even a glimpse on the Kasei Valles..."

"We were heading to check the borders, remember?"

Modo gave him a look.

"No... We were to drive a little bit further but to head back to the monastery, _remember_?"

"I'm pretty sure we agreed on heading to the border..." Vinnie wondered his brows frowning momentarily.

"No! Vinnie! How long have you been drivin' towards the border?!"

"Since...all the time? It's pretty much a straight road down there..."

"You need to turn back right now! We can't go there! The border's infested with the Army!"

"Here we go again! No trust whatsoever!"

"Trust?! There's like thousand soldiers there and only two of us! Even ya should be able to figure out that math problem!"

"Yes, but it's only the Army, bro..!"

"...and it's gettin' real dark soon!"

"What's the matter, Big Fella'? Scared of the dark?"

"No... Ah'm scared that ya are drivin' us both into a situation where we would be sitting there like two mice in the mousetrap!"

Suddenly the truck started to slow down and even if Vinnie tried to push the pedal to the metal the truck only rolled forward silently before coming to a stop.

"What the heck is wrong with this shit?" Vinnie wondered still trying to kick the pedal with his boot. Modo looked a bit baffled too but then turned his look on the gas meter next to the steering wheel and closed his eye in annoyance that just threatened to grow bigger inside of him.

"Vinnie... Please tell me ya checked that this truck was fueled before we took off..."

"Fueled...what...?" Vinnie asked but his ruby red eyes saw the meter also that was showing a small blinking red light. He then cleared his voice.

"Oh, fueled... Yeah..Er...Yeah, well...I er...No?" He then gave a sheepish smile to his right where he met the more brightly blinking red light coming from his bro's bionic eye. Modo just stared at his younger bro, silently, finding even no words... He then turned around and opened the truck door, hopped off the truck and banged the door close so hard the whole truck shook and the lock mechanism became slightly dented.

"Well, sorry... Gee... I didn't know it was my responsibility to check that...!" Vinnie snorted but his irritation changed fast to this slight confusion as he tried to think how to get them out of this situation.

"Don't worry, bro!" Vinnie then raised his high-pitched voice and hoped that Modo could hear that outside the truck as well but the big grey furred male had placed himself a bit further away, just to the place where the truck's headlamps' light was meeting the edge of the darkness that surrounded them. Modo was standing his wide back against the truck, his arms folded behind his neck, still as a rock, seemingly trying to calm himself down, trying to breath and count to hundred before he would do something he would propably regret later...

Vinnie rolled down the window.

"Don't worry, bro!" He hollored again.

"I'll just... find us the nearest gas station..." He thought out loud as his gaze fell on the vast, never-ending dark desert...

x

x

x

x

_And that's the latest chapter, folks!_

_Please feel free to comment and I'm sorry again for these longer breaks! I'm trying to find more time to write!_

_Until next time! Cheers!_


	31. Chapter 31 : Well, It's a Cave

_Hello everyone!_

_Hope everyone's doing okay and you're having a good summer around the world, despite everything that's been happening... _

_Thanks for all the comments and support you have given me!_

_Now, without more further ado..._

_Here's the latest chapter!_

_Hope you guys like it and like always, feel free to leave a comment!_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 31**

**Well, It's a Cave  
**

Throttle walked the corridors and passed the big garage where the Fighters and rebel rats who had stayed this side of the border were maintainig their bikes while the radio was blasting Radio Free Mars but he continued his way and made the steps up to the dining area and found Charley and Aprilia drinking tea and eating what appeared to be some kind of cookies.

Aprilia had done the cookies while it had been quite quiet practise-wise as the medical facilities had stayed empty of patients these past few days and she had decided to make something with all the time at hand, even if it was to give these guerilla soldiers something else to eat than protein bars and savva wheat porridge. The cookies were made from the savva wheat, water and a little bit of sweetener. In the mix there was even a couple of desert bird eggs she'd found from outside when she had had the permission to visit the outside for a few minutes when she had pleaded that she would go crazy if she couldn't see even a glimpse of the Sun so with one Fighter tacking along as a protector she had visited the outside briefly.

To Charley, as she was now munching the cookies, they were not the tastiest cookies but she had learnt that being in here, in this drought-stricken planet, one didn't really have a choice what to use as a sustanance. And while being stuck inside the Headquarters where the Fighters had even less choices on what to cook or eat, she had just stayed content to even get something to eat, even if many of the things tasted a bit like cardboard to her. Spices would make a great deal when cooking but she didn't really know if the Martians even used spices... Judging by these quick-make meals she doubted the Headquarters had the best to offer when it came to the culinary world of Mars and she had been secretly hoping to someday maybe get to go outside the Headquarters and really learn about this fascinating albeit different culture. But as for now, she only took another bite of the savva wheat cookie and flushed it down her throat with some hot tea. The taste-combination was odd but again, she would not go hungry atleast.

Throttle observed these both women sitting there by the table a second before he took a clay cup from the shelf and poured tea to it and came to sit beside them. Charley raised her look but turned it away to her own cup of tea, studying the yellowish hot liquid. The taste of it was something that reminded her of roasted nuts but there was a slight floral taste as well.

"Sorry about that, Charley-girl..." Throttle then opened her mouth and the mechanic raised her look again to meet the green field specs behind of which she could detect the small movement of his eyes while they were observing her back. She looked away and brought the cup close to her lips.

"What do you have to be sorry about?" She asked casually and took a sip.

"You know."

"No..."

Throttle let out a sigh and turned his look to his cup as well. Aprilia only studied them silently, stroking the wooden table surface absent-mindedly.

"She had no right to act the way she did..." Throttle started again after a small silence.

"You didn't do anything. You don't have to apologize for the other people..." Charley mumbled back.

"...I know...It's just... You have to understand... She's being through a lot and..." Throttle tried but then shook his head, ditching the plan to justify Harley's acts.

"Look, honestly, I don't know why she's acting the way she is...But I do know that she had no right to treat you like that."

Charley nodded back.

"Well, it ain't the first time Harley's been lashing out to Charlene..." Aprilia stepped into the conversation. Throttle gave the blonde doctor a look but turned to the Earthling.

"Is that true? This ain't the first time?"

Charley opened her mouth, to maybe try and stop this train of accusations but Aprilia continued.

"She's been acting real horribly towards Charlene these past few weeks... I don't like saying that but apparently she's not gonna change so maybe it's best if someone actually tries to talk some sense to her, I know I've tried..."

"No. I don't want you to do anything...Let's just forget about this." Charley raised slightly her voice.

"Why you didn't tell me?" Throttle still pressed the mechanic.

"Because..." The auburn-haired woman sighed heavily but shook her head not really in the mood for talking about this now or maybe ever but she then flung her hands like being defeated already in this battle.

"...it's Harley! Your Harley! I know how much she means to all of you... that you found she was alive and for what I've gathered she's been through hell...and I just don't want to make a great fight over this..." Her voice became more quiet again as she just shook her head and took a sip of her tea.

"Still, you should've said something..." Throttle started but Charley gave him a look back.

"Well, you really haven't been around!"

Throttle's big ears flattened back momentarily which was quite rare to see but then after briefly drooping they got back to normal and he turned his look away drinking the tea, placing his elbow on the table, between Charley and himself.

"I said already I was sorry about that..." He lowered his voice.

Charley closed her eyes feeling a tiny pinch inside of her.

"No...I'm sorry... This is not your fault. It's not anyone's fault... I still think we're just exaggerating this whole thing... Harley's been through a lot, just like you said. I think we all just have to... let this go. Give her some space to deal with whatever...Okay?" Charley's look became a bit hopeful as she gazed the tan male next to him.

Throttle shrugged his shoulders to this but remained silent. Aprilia tapped her teamug and then scratched her scalp underneath her big blonde bun on top of her head, now feeling a bit guilty that she had been babbling these things about Harley, but she still thought that someone should try to get that female to open up and tell what really was bothering her...Well, she knew already what was troubling her but she would need to learn that she couldn't accuse other people for her problems. They were a family, The Freedom Fighters. They needed to act like one, too.

"Okay. You're right. I know I don't want to make things worse at least..." Aprilia then nodded.

"Yeah." Throttle replied and put down the mug and got up.

"You can start packing, girls. We're leaving." He then left them as the both females just stared after him.

"Leaving?" Aprilia raised her eyebrow.

"To where?" Charley was just as dumbfound.

x

x

"Well, what do you say?" Riot asked with that calm voice of his as he walked around the cave underneath the Monastery with leisurely steps, turning more lights on so the company he was having could see more further into the cave system. The lighting system was merely a few old lamps here and there, swinging from the high ceiling and they were giving just enough light inside the cave that they could see around them without squinting but the darker corners remained dark.

Even if the cave was underneath the Monastery, to get inside they had to use an entrence that was not connected to the Monastery and to get there they had to walk a bit downhill first. It didn't have a door but a smaller entrence which had been carved into the stone just like the cave itself.

Stoker looked around and absent-mindedly touched the cold stone surface of the red stone. He tapped a few times with his finger tips, still letting his eyes wonder inside the cave. A wide and excited smile appeared on his face which momentarily wiped all the fine lines around his face and he looked much younger than he actually was.

"This is perfect! We'll take it!"

Radius was walking inside the cave as well but not showing the same amount of enthusiasm as did the older rebel leader and he had his arms crossed, looking around him like evaluating every little nook and pebble.

"What do you say, _comrade_?" Stoker emphasized, knowing that the ex-lieutenant would not appreciate that title but Radius was not really paying him attention, or maybe he was trying to ignore the guerilla soldier all together. After a while though the white middle-aged ex-Army employee cleared his voice and turned to Stoker and Riot.

"Well... It's a cave."

Stoker gave a snort.

"Ofcourse it's a cave. You were expecting a castle?"

Radius gave the man a bored look back, not appreciating the sarcasm, but turned it away.

"I know you don't maybe have the same standards as me... But in the Army we were using actual buildings as our Headquarters and facilities..."

"You Army boys have always been just a bunch of pampered babies.. After all, we're cave mice, _this _..." Stoker spread his arms.

"...is perfect for us. It blends in with the surroundings and no other soul on Mars knows about this. It's safe."

Simson walked carefully around, slightly having his arms spread to keep his balance so he would not fall facedown to the ground due to the lack of his tail as a balancer nowadays.

"I say it's perfect, too. It's big enough to accomadate all of us, all the Fighters, the rebels rats and the Army boys...We'll have room for the equipments and guns..." Simson's voice faded as he gave the monk a careful look under his brows, like wanting to know if the talk about bringing firearms anywhere near to this haven of peace was something that would not be okay but Riot only walked deeper into the cave and flicked more lights on from the next "room".

"Here are a few smaller rooms.. They could be used for the sleeping... And over there..." Riot turned and walked to the opposite direction and flicked lights on there as well and what they could see was a long but more narrow facility, filled with wooden barrels.

"...this is our wine cellar but we can empty it and you can use it as a garage... There's another entrence to this area and it's a bit more wider so you can easily drive in with your bikes..."

"Wine cellar, eh...?" Stoker mused as he had his arms behind his back while walknig in-between the barrels. He touched the wooden surface of one of the barrels and smiled, approvingly.

"Wait, 'til my men find out about this..."

Riot gave a light-hearted laughter but Radius only rolled his eyes, not pleased.

"I thought we already established an understanding that this won't be one giant party..."

"Not when you're around anyway..." Stoker muttered under his breath but gave the tall and slender white furred male another look.

"I know what we agreed upon...I was only teasing you. Trust me. I've allowed my men to have an occasional pint or two, two celebrate a victory or whatever, but I'm not letting them to drink while being in the Headquarters, while being on duty... You better believe me when I say that I don't tolerate soldiers on hangover and they know it too... I need my men to be in good shape and their brains sharp as a razor, I don't have use for the sloppy hazy-brained drunks..."

"Well, nice to hear that you've got some principles that are sensible..." Radius answered and turned around to look at the facilities once more.

"Oh, man! Wine!" They heard a voice booming behind them and as they turned their heads they saw Rimfire standing there, looking at the wine cellar his eyes wide in excitement but as he turned his twinkling brown eyes to meet the eyes of the others in the room, mainly his step-father's eyes, the twinkle disappeared and he cleared his voice and looked a bit ashamed.

"Just making an observation..."

Rimfire's twin sister walked in as well, clearly she had been trying to keep up with her brother but her being nearly twice shorter than him, she hadn't being able to keep up with the pace. Primer looked around the facilities, making quick notes about them and then turned to the others.

"Where's the kitchen?"

Rimfire let out a laughter.

"This ain't a city apartment, sis...And we're tough men, if we want to eat we just throw meat on the camp fire!"

"You have never caught an animal in your life, if you'll be surviving on wild animals, you'll starve to death." Primer huffed, not impressed by the male bravado.

"Well, I've caught fish... When, you know, there still was any to catch around here in this sand box we call home..." Rimfire muttered.

"You should consider turning to vegetariasm, the sprouts are more suitable for you to catch, they don't move..." Primer snickered and Rimfire crossed his arms, a bit offended.

"Man, you're on fire today, who stepped on your tail...?"

"All I'm saying is that we need to cook somewhere." Primer placed her hands on her hips. Radius sighed and shook his head and pointed at the girl.

"_You _don't need to do anything, Primer. What you need to do is to wait until I can figure out how I can get you back to the Brimstone City, young lady."

Primer squinted her brown eyes as she looked at her step-dad.

"No!"

"Primer, don't raise your voice at me. And this is not debatable. You're leaving this place as soon as we can figure out how..." Radius' voice was strict.

"No!" Primer raised her voice even more and the high-pitched voice echoed in the cave.

"Primer..." Radius' voice got more warning undertones.

"I'm staying! You can't make me leave!" The slender sand coloured female shouted and ran out of the cave.

"Well, apparently your Army discipline doesn't work on everybody..." Rimfire snickered but while meeting the disapproving eyes of the ex-Lieutenant he cleared his voice again.

"I'll just...go after her..."

After a little silence Riot walked to them.

"As for the cooking... You are all welcomed to use our kitchen facilites and eat with us anytime you wish to do so."

"Thank you." Stoker nodded with a kind smile and turned his eyes to wander inside the cave system again.

x

x

As the night had quickly taken over the vast desert and pulled everything under its' cold dark blanket, the truck's headlamps were the only source of light and it covered only this relatively small area of sand dunes, casting long shadows on the red sand.

The two Fighters who were now stuck in this unfriendly environment, where they occasionally heard a Saber Squid searching for its' prey somewhere in the distance, were trying to contact the Monastery with the truck's radio but it was no use. The Army used passwords for the radio system and as they had realized just the second they've tried to log into the radio system, they hadn't thought of asking the password from Radius or any of his men. As for their defence they hadn't even thought of it as they weren't meant to go far. Even if Stoker had called their little trip a patrol ride, everyone knew that Kasei Valles being so distant place, there hardly would be anything to patrol so Vinnie and Modo had both thougth that they would only go take a leisurely ride in the desert, just to clear their heads. And it would have been merely a joy ride and they would have returned in no time that is ofcourse if Vinnie hadn't decided to drive to the border, or near it anyway. And here they were, only an half an hour ride from the border sitting inside the truck's cabin trying to figure out how on Mars would they get back or even signal or contact the others where they were.

Vinnie was trying to type passwords, trying to guess the right one but ofcourse he had no luck. It could be anything. Finally, as the radio bleeped once again as the password Vinnie had typed was wrong yet again, the white furred male gave an exasperated grunt and hit the machine.

"C'mon you stupid piece of technology! Work!"

He heard a low chuckle coming from beside him.

"Ah think the radio won't take orders from you..."

"This is useless!"

"Ah know."

"Damn it! Why did we have to get stranded in here!"

"Ah might have a couple of ideas about that..." Modo muttered but his voice wasn't filled with anger anymore. He had managed to calm himself down in the cool desert air. Now, the only things occupying his mind were the many possible beginnings of a good plan to get them out of this situation but everytime he follow one thought he quickly realized it would not work.

"Let's just walk back!" Vinnie hit his back against the back of the seat rather violently and crossed his arms. This business was, above all, becoming really boring and he did not do boring.

"That'll take us atleast three to four days to walk back... And we don't have any water or food..." Modo leaned against the window with his bionic arm, scratching his forehead with his metal fingers, trying to think.

"We can't just sit here!" Vinnie protested, already decided that anything was better than this mindboggling boredom and uneventfulness.

"Right..." Modo only answered and Vinnie gave him a look.

"Right?! So what are we waiting for? Let's go already!"

Modo sighed and shook his head and felt how the annoyance was slowly starting to rise inside him again. But as he was to comment he suddenly saw something in the distance, somewhere in the dark of the desert. Light. He immidiately jolted and stopped leaning against the window and squinted his eye to see what it was that was flickering in the dark.

"What's that?"

Vinnie turned his gaze into the dark night as well and he too saw a small dot of light. He leaned to the wheel, using both of his arms and raised his eyebrow.

"Well, whatever it is, it's quite small..."

"Obviously, it's pretty far away still..." Modo blurted out, shaking his head in a bit of a disbelief that his bro didn't understand the logic behind the fact that if things were more faraway they appeared to be smaller...

"I know that!" Vinnie snorted at this comment but cleared his voice, changing the course of the discussion.

"Well, whatever it is, it's coming from the border..."

Modo didn't answer this but he had figured it out himself as well and a small frown appeared to his forehead.

"Maybe it's the Army?" Vinnie tried and gave his bro another look who only absent-mindedly shrugged his shoulders back.

"Maybe... They detected us somehow?" Vinnie rubbed his chin but that comment got Modo suddenly awake from his thoughts.

"Vinnie! Turn off the lights!"

"...what?"

"Turn off the lights of this truck, now!"

"Oh...Okay..." Vinnie answered and pulled one switch but it made the lights to blink.

"Turn them off! Don't blink them!" Modo yelled back as Vinnie tried the same time to figure out where the lights went off.

"Yeah, yeah...Right...On it! Let's see here..."

And the lights blinked again, and again.

"God damn it! Just take the keys off!" Modo shouted but then rushed to do that himself but as he yanked the keys with too much power the key broke inside the lock and the lights stayed on.

"Well, that was helpful." Vinnie commented dryly but gave the small dot of light another look and now it seemed to becomen a bit bigger dot.

"It's heading this way, bro..."

"Yeah." Modo only replied.

x

x

x

x


	32. Chapter 32: Meanwhile

_Hello my dear readers!  
_

_It took me a little time but I finally managed to write a new chapter.._

_Truth is that my mind's been occupied with this new story idea... It won't be any prequeal or sequeal to this one, so it'll be a totally new one and I've already written most part of the first chapter already... But I really want to write this story into completion, too... So, I'm trying to think whether I should write this story first or do I start writing two stories simultaneously... But I've been thinking about this current story and I already have a pretty good plan how everything will work out in the end, and I don't think it'll need THAT many chapters anymore but still, it needs quite a few before I'll be able to unravel everything... But, we'll see what happens. Maybe I'll post the first chapter of the new story while still writing this one, we'll see. I'm actually quite eager to release that new story..._

_Anyway, hope you're all well and please enjoy the latest chapter._

_Thanks to all of you who have supported me. Means a lot to me._

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 32**

**Meanwhile**

"You think she's dead?" A guard asked from the other guard as they had stepped into this dark cell and they were both now looking at this motionless figure lying on the bed, her back turned towards them.

"Nah... The General might just feel a little...tired, you know." The other man said with a light snicker but he stepped forward and push the figure in the shadows with his rifle but the figure remained still. The men gave each other a look but the man poked the figure with the gun another time, again the figure remained quiet and still.

"Maybe we should call the doctor...?" The other guard tried but the other one only shook his head.

"No, we had strict orders to keep the visitors in minimum..."

"But surely that doesn't concern the doctor...?"

"Orders are orders." The other man said with strict voice but then nodded towards the thick cell door.

"C'mon. Let's go."

"We can't just leave her in that state...?"

"Well, what can we do? I'm sure it's all just because she's only trying to make us believe she's in a bad shape and that way she would take her to the hospital and then she'll just run off..."

"Yeah, maybe..."

"C'mon... Let's go. We'll come back to see if she's more...cooperative tomorrow... See you tomorrow, General Carbine." The guard gnarled as they both left the cell and closed the thick cell door after them and the cell became pitch black.

x

x

A lonely Army truck was driving across the desert towards the truck they had spotted in the distance.

"Wonder who's out here in the middle of nowhere...?" A soldier asked while driving.

"I don't know... But it sure looks like an Army truck to me..."

"Think our comrades got lost?" The driver snickered.

"I don't know... Or then these dummies ran out of gas..." The other one mused but frowned.

"But we better be careful..."

"Why?"

"Because... Like we heard from the radio, two Army trucks got stolen..."

"What would they be doing out here? And it said two trucks, this is only one... If this is one of the stolen trucks then where's the other one?"

"Good question... Okay, slow down now, we're coming to them... Let's just be careful..." The other soldier riding the shotgun said while taking his gun and loading it as their truck started to slow down and it crept nearly cautiously forward, now only one sand dune away from the truck that stood there like it was abandoned but the headlights had just blinked awhile ago...There had to be soldiers in the truck. The soldier riding the shotgun showed the driver to move even more slowly while he tried to see in the dark any signs of movement but it was really dark and they could only see clearly the way the truck's headlights were showing, which was sand.

They drove so slowly the truck merely moved as they were trying to see in this pitch black night.

"Seeing anything?" The driver nearly whispered and as the one sitting next to him was about to answer they both got startled as there was a knock on the left window and as they quickly pointed their guns towards the left window at a figure standing outside they got startled again as someone knocked on the right-side window. The soldiers were frantically trying to make up their minds to which window they should point their guns but quickly realized they were both aimed at guns, too.

"Turn off the truck." A low rumble was heard behind the right window. The soldiers were a bit dumbfounded but turned their heads to the left window where they heard a more high-pitched voice.

"Or we'll turn it off for you, and not very politely."

"Oh, man..."

"What? That's a cool phrase!"

"Doesn't apply to every situation..."

"Everyone's a critic..."

The soldiers were turning their heads from left to right to left again as this small dialogue went between the two strangers in the dark but then the driver turned off the truck but gave his soldier friend a look in the dim-lit cabin.

"What's happening?!" He asked, trying to keep his voice down but the two strangers heard it anyway.

"What's happening is that we're taking your truck!" The high-pitched voice stated from the dark.

"And ya get to hitchhike your way back to where ever ya guys came from." The lower rumble joined in from the right.

"You can't do that! This is Army property!" The other soldier raised his voice.

"Hey, dude! Does it look like we care?" A sing-songy chuckle was heard.

"Step out of the vehicle." The other voice was more demanding. The soldiers gave each other a look but then slowly obeyed the order. As they opened the truck's doors they carefully stepped out of the vehicle. The driver nearly bumped into the big man who was pointing a gun at him and that gun appeared to be a some sort of a bionic weapon that was attached...to the man...

"Drop your gun." A low rumble ordered and the driver stared at the tall stranger still in the shadows but nodded and threw his weapon on the ground. The soldier swallowed and was to turn to see what had happened to his comrade but he was turned around with a firm grip.

"Keep still. Your comrade's okay..."

The soldier gave another glance at this giant infront of him but nodded again, not really able to answer. Soon they heard steps and the other soldier walked to them his hands above his head as he was guided to their direction by the other stranger, poking his laser gun at the soldier's back.

"Please...Don't hurt us!" The soldier cried.

"Well, you just be good lil' soldier boys and we won't hurt you.. too severely..." The shorter stranger snickered and the taller one let out a sigh.

"We won't hurt you. We just need your truck."

"Who...Who are you?" The soldier asked, still keeping his hands raised but kept on eyeing the two strangers, moving his head. He let his eyes wander on the metal plate the other one was having to cover the other half of his face and then turned to look at the other man who was still pointing them with his...arm cannon.

"Who are you?!" He asked again, now more demanding.

"We are just two fellows who are having a small transportational problem...That's all ya need to know." The taller male answered but nodded at the shorter stranger to pick up the guns from the sand.

"Okay, dumb and dumber, take a hike." The shorter male then nodded at them and the soldiers gave each other a little clueless look.

"You heard me! Shoo! Go!" The white furred male then took a step forward, pointing his gun at them both and the males scampered a little but started to walk towards the dark desert. They tried to look back over their shoulders but a shout stopped their actions.

"I said walk! Don't look back or I'll shoot you both! You heard me! Move!" A high-pitched voice shouted after them and the Army soldiers started to run to the pitch-black desert, nearly tripping on the stones and bumps on the sand. The two strangers looked after them, their arms crossed.

"Look at them go..." The shorter one chuckled.

"Well, they're the Army. They've got years of practise in retreating..." The taller one chuckled back but slapped the other one to his back.

"C'mon! Let's go back to the monastery before these guys figure how to contact the Army..."

The men turned to the truck but as the shorter one was to hop on the driver's seat he got pulled back from his shoulder.

"A-a, no way, Ah'm gonna drive us back! Ah'm not lettin' ya drive anything with four wheels ever again!" The taller one boomed.

"Oh, c'mon, bro... You drive like an eighty-year-old...I thought we were in a hurry?" The shorter male whined annoyed.

But the taller male was already sitting behind the wheel and banged the door close and started the truck while the other one had to hurry to circle the truck to hop in but the truck already nudged into movement and gassed off, leaving the shorter male behind.

"Modo! What are ya doin', bro?! Stop the truck!" Vinnie shouted while trying to reach the vehicle.

"What's the matter, kid?! Ah thought we were in a hurry?!" Modo only shouted from the window while Vinnie ran after the truck and managed to get a hold of the right-side's door's handle and opened it while still running beside the truck and finally hopped in, banging the door close.

"You didn't need to do that...!" He muttered while the truck hit another gear and it was gunning down the desert.

After a few minutes of ride in the desert Vinnie started to look around in the cabin.

"What these guys were doing out here anyway?"

"Beats me..." Modo muttered back.

Vinnie still looked around and saw some documents on the dashboard and took them to his hands, starting to leaf them through in a bored manner before he suddenly stopped with one of the papers, eyeing it carefully before his eyes got bigger.

"Bro..."

"Yeah?"

"This document holds some information..."

"They usually do..." Modo chuckled lightly.

"No! I mean...This... This says something about water..."

"Oh?" Modo got curious too.

"Yeah... There are coordinates and then...oh, this is interesting..."

"What?" Modo asked, glancing at the white furred male while driving.

"It says that in case of inquieries... Contact Mace."

"Mace?"

"Yeah."

"Well... That's odd... Why would the Army contact Mace...?"

"I don't know! Just reading what it says in here... Oh, wait a minute! Here's a number! This has the code to Mace's VidCom!"

"Yeah? Well... Ah think that can come very handy to us..."

"Yes in deed... I wouldn't mind giving that piece of turd a prank call..." Vinnie snickered.

"Wonder what that fellow is doing right now.." Modo thought out loud while shifting another gear.

x

x

Mace was lurking around one corner of a building in Brimstone City. He looked at the mice pacing around, doing their evening activities.

"Oh, how delightfully clueless creatures..." Mace smiled crudely but then turned to give a big bunch of his rat troopers a look behind his back.

"C'mon, let's sneak us into the government building using the back door!"

"Can you first tell us what we're doing in here, among these..._mice_?" One of his men asked, not really disguising his hatred for the other race.

"I said I had a plan how we're gonna lure these Freedom Fanatics from their hidey-holes..." Mace started but gave another look around the corner, eyeing the big governmental building.

"Yeah? So, what's the plan?"

"The mice government hasn't been too effective with their help to catch those stupid wannabe-rebels... So, we need to speed things up a bit. I'm not gonna wait any longer, already too much time has been wasted. I need to catch those Fighters...dead or alive. But preferably dead." Mace talked and his men gave each other a look, still not really knowing what the whole idea behind the reason they've comen here to the Brimstone City was. Mace gave them a look but let out a sigh while seeing the clueless faces they all sported.

"Do I have to spell out everything to you?! We're gonna take over the city!"

"Oh... Okay. How?" One of the troopers asked.

"By making a coup. We're gonna march to the Mice Government's bureau and take those big wigs as hostages... And taking over things. Soon, I'm gonna be the one who gives orders around here and I'll make sure to put some speed to their Army to help us to destroy the Fighters."

"How we're gonna be able to make the coup? They got the Army while there's only a handful of us...? The rest of us are still waiting in the tunnels but in total we're only a small group compared to their Army of soldiers." A trooper asked. Mace was silent for awhile, still carefully watching the mice citizens roaming about. He then gave his men another look.

"It'll be enough. The Mice government has ordered nearly all of their soldiers to guard the border...There won't be many of them left here in the city. It'll be easy and painful... For us anyway." Mace gave yet another look at the big building in the centre of the city but then turned to his men.

"C'mon, let's go. We'll use the back entrance..."

x

x

x

x


	33. Chapter 33: The Coup

_Oh my... It's being a long time! I'm sorry for this super long delay but it's been really hectic... And I've also started to write this new story and maybe you'll get to read that (if you want) in a matter of days or... weeks... you know, one just can't plan the life ahead so well, specially during these strange times...But I have to say that even if I have been quiet with my own writing during these past few months, I have enjoyed so much of all the fan fics this great fandom has blessed us with during the summer, I mean, holy shit you guys can really write! If only we could get movie adaptations of some of them... Sigh.  
_

_Anyway, thanks so so so much for all the supportive comments and reviews! I do hope you're still with me with this story!_

_Anyway, I won't prolong this any further..._

_Hope you're all safe out there in this crazy world._

_Here's finally the newest chapter, please enjoy!_

_Peace,_

_-SpaceFlora_

**The Good, The Bad and the Rebels**

**Chapter 33**

**The Coup**

Inside the Brimstone City Hall there had been a meeting with all the representatives and the meeting had continued until the early hours of the night. The representatives had been debating over what they were going to do with the Freedom Fighters-problem. After the day the Fighters had been cruising across the city noone had not seen even a glimpse on them. The Army had been ordered to patrol the border but there had been little to patrol about, the border between the vast noman's lands and the Cave Mice territory had been quiet as … mice.

Even if the clock was already ticking close to two AM, the six representatives were sitting around the table in this bright-lit conference room. There were five males and one female, everyone older than the other one and they were still debating over their small rebel problem.

"...I can't believe noone's seen these damn renegades...! Where did they go?!"

"...and the way they humiliated us! They just rode right through the city! Without our Army noticing them!"

"Well, speaking of the Army... I'm starting to doubt there are traitors amongst them... I mean, the rebels stole two Army trucks! Right infront of the Army! They had to have some help!"

"Well, we got a notice that fifty soldiers along with one Lieutenant called Radius had gone missing as well, maybe they're the ones who helped the Fighters to escape the city without the Army finding them?"

"The Army is full of traitors! First General Carbine and now this group of soldiers! Can we even trust our Army anymore? I mean, without the Army..."

"...those damn renegades have been ruining everything from the day that Stoker decided to start handing out guns to these rebel citizens!"

"I agree! It's time for them to learn to keep their noses out of our business! We've let them to run around free for too long!"

"It's about time we'll catch them and throw them in jail where those criminals belong!"

"Well, in order to throw them in jail we need to catch them first but like I said there's no sign on them! First we need to catch them!"

"Well, they better start turning all the stones since we don't have much time...! I mean, Mace said..."

"Oh, don't even get me started with Mace... That idiot is prancing around like he's somekind of a big shot... He's got sand for brains for all I know...!"

The six representatives suddenly heard the door to open behind them and they stopped the shouting and debating and turned their heads towards the door where they suddenly saw a big bunch of rats standing there in their combat uniforms, holding guns and they had the two mouse guards on their firm grips who tried to free themselves but in vain. The representatives' eyes quickly focused on the tall grey rat standing infront of the other ones, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Please, continue... Don't lemme interrupt you, dear friends..." Mace smiled cruedly at the mice sitting around the table. But the silence inside the room continued and Mace took a step further, the boots making a small echo.

"You were saying something about me? Now, if you'll have any complaints on how I run things, I'm all ears..." Mace took a few more slow steps towards the table, looking each one of the mice around it carefully into the eyes while the mice averted their gazes quickly away.

"Now... Who will start?" Mace spread his arms invitingly, smiling. He gave a look at his side where one older grey furred male mouse with glasses perched on his nose was trying to look away.

"Maybe you'll start." Mace poked the male, not roughly but the male in question flinched nevertheless. Mace only let out a small sound of satisfaction.

"Thought so... All talk and no action...You are pathetic... I begin to wonder why we're even letting you buffoons sit here in this neat tidy little office, collecting gold gills, when you're not actually capable of doing anything, not even a small little favour like catching the Freedom Fighters...!" Mace got interrupted as one of the men in the room, middle-aged with brown fur, shot up.

"Now, we have tried with all the resources we have and you've given us...!"

Mace turned his head towards the man, his eyes so intense that the man swallowed with difficulty and only carefully sat down again, feeling like he had stepped over the line. Which he might have done, too.

"Oh really? You've done everything in your power to catch these annoying creatures? Well, then, where are they? Have you made any progress? Because all I see is a room full of rich freeloaders who are more than happy to get paied for a job they cannot get done!"

"We did capture some of them! They got brought into the desert base!" The only female in the room then raised her slightly shaky voice.

"You did, yes... You managed to capture a fraction of the resistance but then what happened? It only took a handful of Fighters to defeat your entire "special crew" and free all the remaining captives! Well, that hardly is a prime example of a victory, now is it?!" Mace raised his voice and the mice startled.

A silence fell over the room again. Mace gave his rat troops a look.

"I think there's suddenly too many mice around here, what do you think, boys?"

The rat troopers snickered back, already knowing Mace's plan and the grey furred rat turned around to meet the baffled looks of the mice representatives.

"Yes, that's it... there's too many mice in the room, kills the feng shui, really..."

He then dragged one man up.

"You'll be a perfect for our first bait."

"W-what? Bait? What are you planning?" The male mouse shook in his powerful grip.

"I'm planning to get things done. The Freedom Fighters are right about one thing... You can't really trust the government to do the right thing..." Mace then dragged the man out of the room and while his troops departed out of his way he gave them a nod.

"Search the room and destroy any kinds of communication devices and shut the doors. I want two guards by the door, all the time. All the others, follow me. Let's start the show."

"Please, let me go... What are you doing?!" The male mouse in Mace's grip pleaded while being dragged away.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking over your city, mousey." Mace growled back.

x

x

After couple of hours had passed nearly everything that held any value to the Fighters inside the Headquarters had been packed to this big tank truck Charley had previously decided to use as a getaway car from the desert base. Charley banged the hatch in the back of the truck close as it came full with all different kinds of monitors, boxes, computers and guns.

"Well, am I glad that there are big muscle-mice around to help with the moving... You should establish a moving company. I bet you'd be highly popular with the ladies..." Charley looked at the sweatty big males around the garage still packing some guns. Throttle let out a small chuckle.

"What, and leave our profitable job as rebels on exile?"

Charley gave a small smirk back but then tapped the truck.

"I can drive this baby!"

"Charley..."

"It's my truck!"

"Well, technically it still belongs to our government..."

"Oh, who cares... I drove it here!" Charley then patted the shiny side of the truck.

"It likes me..."

Throttle had to laugh at this as he knew just how gearhead this woman was, loving anything that had an engine to it.

"Well, to be honest I was kind of thinking that you and Aprilia took the truck. And that you'd be the driver, obviously... The doctor's many great things but she's not really to be trusted behind the wheel, and those are Modo's words so we know that if that's the most polite way to express the situation then there's no way that lady can drive..." Throttle's lips twitched slightly but he tried to keep a stern face. After all, this plan he had on his mind, it was anything but a safe one.

"But I'm ordering someone who can handle guns to ride along with you."

"That's fine..." Charley answered and Throttle already nodded at someone somewhere in the garage and soon Harley walked to them, having her backbag perched on her shoulder. Harley gave Throttle a small smile and a nod.

"What up?"

"You're going to ride with Charley."

"What?!" Both of the females raised their voices, the other one sounding pissed off and the other one just really surprised by this decision.

"Good. You're already thinking alike! Now what could be more uniting than a trans-desert ride with absolutely nothing else to do except talk?" Throttle patted them both on their shoulders and took off.

"We're leaving in ten. Get ready." And the tan furred male walked to the other Fighters and rebel rats who were also getting ready, everyone having a backbag while climbing on their bikes, and everyone had more guns on them than they'd ever had.

Charley looked at this scene and then carefully turned her look on Harley who was still standing beside her, her arms crossed and not exactly looking pleased. The ginger-furred mechanic then gave the woman by her side a glance but turned her back and hopped on to ride the shotgun without saying a word. Charley let out a heavy sigh and circled to the other side of the truck.

"Well, this should be a fun trip..." She muttered.

x

x

x

x


End file.
